Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier
This study explores the political significance of peasant identities, rice cultivation and land struggles in the context of civil war. It comprises two agrarian settlements in Sri Lanka's former war zone: a state-sponsored Sinhala settlement colony (Weli Oya) and a village formerly ruled by the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Routledge
2019
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| _version_ | 1826311724328812544 |
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| author | Klem, B Kelegama, T |
| author_facet | Klem, B Kelegama, T |
| author_sort | Klem, B |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | This study explores the political significance of peasant identities, rice cultivation and land struggles in the context of civil war. It comprises two agrarian settlements in Sri Lanka's former war zone: a state-sponsored Sinhala settlement colony (Weli Oya) and a village formerly ruled by the Tamil insurgency (Sampur). We conceptualise both communities as ‘marginal placeholders’ positioned in Sri Lanka's embattled Dry Zone frontier. Their contentions, and the elite support for their contentions, make little sense in terms of material gain or agrarian surplus. We therefore argue that they must be understood as territorial struggles over ethnic space, rival sovereign claims, peasant ideology and cultural purification. Marginal placeholders are fielded to secure politically strategic territory, but ironically their marginality is reproduced in the process. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:15:29Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:4efe14bf-570a-469d-806d-e3445c5e05d6 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:15:29Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Routledge |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:4efe14bf-570a-469d-806d-e3445c5e05d62024-01-03T11:20:19ZMarginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontierJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:4efe14bf-570a-469d-806d-e3445c5e05d6EnglishSymplectic ElementsRoutledge2019Klem, BKelegama, TThis study explores the political significance of peasant identities, rice cultivation and land struggles in the context of civil war. It comprises two agrarian settlements in Sri Lanka's former war zone: a state-sponsored Sinhala settlement colony (Weli Oya) and a village formerly ruled by the Tamil insurgency (Sampur). We conceptualise both communities as ‘marginal placeholders’ positioned in Sri Lanka's embattled Dry Zone frontier. Their contentions, and the elite support for their contentions, make little sense in terms of material gain or agrarian surplus. We therefore argue that they must be understood as territorial struggles over ethnic space, rival sovereign claims, peasant ideology and cultural purification. Marginal placeholders are fielded to secure politically strategic territory, but ironically their marginality is reproduced in the process. |
| spellingShingle | Klem, B Kelegama, T Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier |
| title | Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier |
| title_full | Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier |
| title_fullStr | Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier |
| title_full_unstemmed | Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier |
| title_short | Marginal placeholders: peasants, paddy and ethnic space in Sri Lanka’s post-war frontier |
| title_sort | marginal placeholders peasants paddy and ethnic space in sri lanka s post war frontier |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT klemb marginalplaceholderspeasantspaddyandethnicspaceinsrilankaspostwarfrontier AT kelegamat marginalplaceholderspeasantspaddyandethnicspaceinsrilankaspostwarfrontier |