Women & the nation's narrative : gender and nationalism in twentieth century Sri Lanka / Neloufer de Mel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Mel, Neloufer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nationalism and feminism--Sri Lanka.

Nationalism and feminism.

Women--Sri Lanka.

Women.

Nationalism--Sri Lanka.

Nationalism.

Sri Lanka.

Physical Description:

x, 293 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Other Title:

Women and the nation's narrative

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2001]

Summary:

This book explores the development of nationalism in Sri Lanka during the past century, particularly within the dominant Sinhala Buddhist and militant Tamil movements. Tracing the ways women from diverse backgrounds have engaged with nationalism, Neloufer de Mel argues that gender is crucial to an understanding of nationalism and vice versa. Traversing both the colonial and postcolonial periods in Sri Lanka's history, the author assesses a range of writers, activists, political figures, and movements almost completely unknown in the West. The breadth of topics examined here will make this work a valuable resource for South Asianists as well as for scholars in a wide range of fields who want to consider the ways in which gender inflects their areas of research and teaching.

Contents:

Setting the Stage, Gendering the Nation: John de Silva's Nationalist Theatre and the Entrance of Annie Boteju 57

Framing the Nation's Respectability: Anil Marcia de Silva's Rite of Passage 102

A Question of Identity: Jean Arasanayagam's Landscape of the Nation 162

Agent or Victim? The Sri Lankan Woman Militant in the Interregnum 203

Mother Politics and Women's Politics: Notes on the Contemporary Sri Lankan Women's Movement 233.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [282]-293).

ISBN:

074251806X

0742518078

OCLC:

49516643