Browsing by Author "Perera, U.M."

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Can Craft Consciousness Disband Ethnic Consciousness? Case-study on Organic Reconciliation Process of Traditional Handicraft Makers from Batticaloa District
(4th International Conference on Social Sciences 2018, Research Centre for Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Perera, U.M.; Dhanushka, M.D.; Gunathilake, N.
Any form of armed conflict creates a cleavage in the social, political and economic spheres of people in a given society. In the post-war Sri Lanka, the SLFP and present governments have employed numerous developmental programs as one of the reconciliation mechanisms; yet, these measures proved to be less successful than expected. Through this article, we are bringing the evidence of an organic reconciliation process that has already existed among Muslims and Tamils of Batticaloa, in the form of handicraft making such as handloom weaving and pottery making. We are forwarding the argument that higher success rate can be observed by penetrating into the cultural heritages of ethnographic practices of locals for decades and encouraging these practices to be resurfaced for a non-intrusive organic reconciliation process compared to the introduction of novel developmental programs. We have spent three months with two weeks at regular intervals collecting data from two separate camps of handloom weavers and pottery makers from the areas. The main research method is video-ethnography and within which interview technique is used to gather the samples’ thoughts. The sample consists of 10 Muslims and 12 Tamils from the weaving centre and 6 Muslims and 15 Tamils from the pottery makers’ side. The sample consists of both males and females. Our research proved that common economic hardships encourage the locals to rediscover their traditional roots which are both positively received and practiced by locals rather than outside developmental programs. In, conclusion, in Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa district’s local craft consciousness proved to be a powerful tool in bringing individuals together; and through social elevation of status has a direct contribution to country’s societal and human well-being as well
War art, instinctual drives and nationalism with reference to “The Shrine of Innocents”: Interpreting contemporary history through war art
(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Perera, U.M.
War art is presented to public in many forms which vary from painting, sculpture, installations to graffiti, which in all their forms propel the message of either propaganda or futility of war. ―The Shrine of Innocents‖ falls into the latter category. The installation artist, Jagath Weeasinghe was commissioned by then government, to create the war monument cum war installation piece. It was erected in commemoration of over 60,000 youth who had lost their lives during the 70‘s and 80‘s insurrections. The objective of this research paper is to investigate the reasons behind its rather clandestine existence and disappearance. First, it was a constant reminder and acknowledgement of an individual‘s right to oppose the authority and order which challenges the power of the hegemony. I will be using Freudian concept, when ―Taboo‖ is no longer such and transforms itself to a ―totem‖, and consequences to the authority. Secondly, the power of higher art in inducing critical thinking which reinterprets the recorded history as discussed by Herbert Marcuse and Fredric Jameson. Thirdly, ―The Shrine of Innocents‖ was a physical reminder of the parody of predominantly Sinhala Buddhist identity which breeds nationalistic ideology among the general mass. Fourthly, by acknowledging one group of youth the government has to acknowledge other groups of youth who fought for their rights from the North, East and South who were also victims of the system thus, damaging the fable of nationalism. In conclusion, I will be using works of Sigmund Freud, Herbert Marcuse and Fredric Jameson to investigate the research question as presented above in order to reinterpret the contemporary history through the war- monument, ―The Shrine of Innocents‖.