Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World: Colonial and Neoliberal Origins: Ecological and Collective Alternatives

Asoka Bandarage

Published by De Gruyter 2023

Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World

Colonial and Neoliberal Origins: Ecological and Collective Alternatives

Asoka Bandarage

Volume 30 in the series De Gruyter Contemporary Social Sciences

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111203454

Overview
Contents

About this book

Now in Paperback

This book provides a broad picture of Sri Lanka’s on-going political and economic crisis as the culmination of several centuries of colonial and neo-colonial developments. The book presents the Sri Lankan crisis as an exemplification of a broader global existential crisis facing more and more debt trapped countries, especially in the post-colonial Global South. The book's in-depth case study raises important questions pertaining to sovereignty and political and economic democracy in Sri Lanka and the world at large.

The book also explores the emergence of the crisis in the context of the accelerating geopolitical conflict between China and the USA in the Indian Ocean. It ponders if the debt crisis, economic collapse and political destabilization in Sri Lanka were intentionally precipitated to the advantage of the Quadrilateral Alliance (USA, India, Australia and Japan).

Moving beyond geopolitical rivalry, the book juxtaposes Sri Lanka’s political-economic crisis with the broader ecological crisis of climate change and sea-level rise.

The book concludes with a consideration of the ethical dilemmas behind the debt and survival crisis in Sri Lanka and across the world. It points out a range of social movements and initiatives in Sri Lanka and the Global South which subscribe to collective and ecological alternatives and a Middle Path of sustainability and social justice.

Timely and well-researched
A global perspective on the Sri Lankan crisis
Offers ecological and collective alternatives as crisis resolution

Author / Editor information

Asoka Bandarage, California Institute for Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Reviews

"In this well-written, well-researched scholarly text, Asoka Bandarage brilliantly combines a detailed historical analysis of the political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka and a global ethical perspective pertaining to similar crises elsewhere in the world."
T. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

"A very useful analysis providing depth and background to understanding the current Sri Lankan economic crisis. Bandarage goes well beyond the standard tropes of ‘policy errors’ or culture/identity-based explanations, to locate the Sri Lankan experience in the wider context of profit-, technology- and finance-driven globalization."
Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA

"Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World is a most timely book – and urgently needed for the world that is at a critical crossroads of extreme and accelerating possibilities. For alternatives that are just and sustainable, the crisis needs to be understood both historically as well as in the contemporary context. I cannot think of very many who can do that – both with scholarship and passion – with a fusion of global as well as local and holistic perspectives as Asoka Bandarage has been able to do here."
Sajed Kamal has taught at Boston University, Northeastern University, Antioch New England Graduate School, and Brandeis University

"A powerful, riveting and in-depth analysis of the structural and destructive legacy of colonialism on post-colonial and debt-trapped countries like Sri Lanka ... Dr. Bandarage’s superb book is well-researched, expertly synthesized and presented with rigor in an engaging and accessible writing style. It is a tremendous achievement and a must-read for every scholar and student of history, colonialism, underdevelopment, hegemonic domination and ecological disasters. Its cutting-edge scholarship is of critical importance in the fields of economics, political science, environmental studies and policy coordination at the national and international level."
Filomina C. Steady, Professor Emerita, Anthropology and Africana Studies, Wellesley College, USA

"Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World is a valuable addition to any library or private collection concerned with the historical roots and future of the crisis in Sri Lanka and its global implications. In these pages Professor Bandarage writes with urgency and clarity of her nation, its situation in relationship to a history of colonialism, neoliberalism, complex global issues, and climate change. She brings to the table a deep understanding of contemporary international complexities, and the reality of climate change for the world today. Her appeal to a more compassionate understanding of human nature and consciousness itself could not be more timely."
Allan Leslie Combs, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Consciousness Studies and Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies, California Institute of Integral Studies

"Bandarage’s book ... is a must-read for those seeking alternative methodological stances and more comprehensive perspectives on the analysis of socio-economic crises in emerging economies … . Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World stands out as a refreshing and much-needed addition to the body of literature addressing the Sri Lankan crisis of the 2020s. It provides a holistic viewpoint, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the crisis and tracing its origins back to Sri Lanka’s historical evolution from colonial times. Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World is perhaps the only comprehensive publication written from such a holistic approach so far ... ."
W. D. Lakshman, Professor Emeritus, University of Colombo

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Foreword Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	XV
Figures List Publicly Available Download PDF	XVII
Tables List Publicly Available Download PDF	XIX
Appendices List Publicly Available Download PDF	XXI
Chapter 1: Introduction: Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2: Pre-Colonial Era to Colonial Rule and Capitalism: C. 3 BCE to 1948 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	22
Chapter 3: ‘Flag Independence’, Left-Wing Nationalism and Decolonization, 1948 – 1977 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
Chapter 4: Neoliberalism, Authoritarianism and Recolonization, 1977 –2009 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
Chapter 5: Geopolitical Rivalry, Neocolonialism and Political Destabilization, 2009 –2019 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	122
Chapter 6: Debt Colonialism, Inequality and the Crisis of Survival, 2019 – 2022 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	158
Chapter 7: Ecological and Collective Alternatives to Neoliberal Globalization Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	202
Appendices Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225
Selected Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	235

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Scholars and students of Politics, History, International Studies and Development Studies.
Pages
- Front matter: 18
- Main content: 249
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 20
- Coloured Illustrations: 2
- Tables: 14
Keywords: Interdependence; Sustainability; Social Justice; Sri Lanka; Collective Alternatives

eBook

Published: May 22, 2023
ISBN: 9783111203454

Hardcover

Published: May 22, 2023
ISBN: 9783111203430

Paperback

Published: October 24, 2023
ISBN: 9783111356037