The Structure of Protracted Conflict: The Case of Sri Lanka

In an assessment of the long & bloody conflict between Sinhalese Buddhists & Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), it is argued that the causes of the conflict's inception differ from those that sustain protracted conflict. To understand why the conflict continues, social theory...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Humboldt journal of social relations 1994-01, Vol.20 (2), p.121-147
Main Author: Pfaffenberger, Bryan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ethnic Relations
Intergroup Relations
Social Conflict
Sri Lanka
Violence
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Summary:In an assessment of the long & bloody conflict between Sinhalese Buddhists & Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), it is argued that the causes of the conflict's inception differ from those that sustain protracted conflict. To understand why the conflict continues, social theory must examine the structural conditions of protracted conflict. In Sri Lanka's case, these include: mutually incompatible goals; the existence of contested, heterogeneous regions; the role played by external agents; the belief that a military solution is possible; the elimination of political moderates; the recasting of traditions in accord with ethnic nationalist dogma; & the lack of truth. As this structure has developed, the two contestants have -- ironically -- come to resemble each other as they have adapted their societies & lives to entrenched ethnic conflict. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0160-4341