Volume 07 - 2015

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Comparison and review of Environmental Management Systems among the government institutions in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Gunawardhana, L.M.A.P.; Jayawickrama, K.G.G.K.
The organizations in the world have been suffering from various types of environmental problems in the recent past due to their activities, products and services. Environmental Management System (EMS) is a comprehensive tool to assess and ensure the mitigation of environmental issues. EMS is a part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices, procedures, and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing, and maintaining the environmental policies. EMS follows Stewart and Deming‟s quality management approach. EMS ensures positive environmental impacts, improves product quality, competitiveness and production process, reduce expenses, liabilities, insurance premiums, and waste management cost and enhance market responsiveness. The objective of this research is to compare the performance of EMS among the government institutions in Sri Lanka. Ten Divisional Secretariat offices in Kurunegala district in the North Western Province in Sri Lanka have been selected for the purpose. Interviews of key informants were the main source of primary data under six EMS criteria, namely, commitment and environmental policy, planning, implementation, measurements and evaluation, audit and review. SPSS and MS Excel were used for data analysis. There was a considerable variation among the institutions. The researcher found that the success level of the implementation of EMS is positively correlated with leadership qualities. Generally, the implementation of EMS in government institutions is weak and performance rank order illustrated that the major weaknesses were lack of awareness of the EMS among the employees, poor auditing, lack of EMS training, and lack of condign attitudes. EMS should be launched to improve the EMS training in order to minimize negative environmental impacts and to provide effective service to the public.
A Critical Reading of Environmental Kuznets Curve: CO2 Emissions in a Developing Country
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Tutulmaz, Onur
Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) proposes a non-monotonic relationship between the environment and economic level. It also tries to define another important reduced relationship along with economic development. Therefore it has become an attraction for empirical studies giving reference for almost all the areas of the subject of the relationship between economy and environment. An important empirical area of the hypothesis is between CO2 emission which is a global emission and GDP per capita being the representative of economic development. The present and near future situations of the environmental pressure are evaluated by taking the CO2 emission as a representative of environmental pressure. Being directly connected to energy, CO2 emissions are generally evaluated differently than other emissions. Our study critically analyzes main confusions in the literature in terms of the interpretation of the EKC applications on developing countries using primarily example of estimates for Turkey‟s CO2 emissions. As for reduced form EKC time series analyses for Turkey, there are a few statistically robust analyses; and a main diversion cause from minor econometric analysis try to be clarified here. As to the physical emission values, it is not difficult to predict a short term rise for the carbon dioxide emission level. Particularly, Turkey, as a developing country with lower values is very likely to show further environmental pressure increase in terms of carbon dioxide emission in the short-term. On the other hand, we analyze the main point need to be cleared for a developing country EKC is evaluation of longrun attractor, referring to the cointegration concept Engle and Granger (1991) introduced, which hints the shape of long run relationship. Therefore, we attempt to unite the mathematics of the theory, use analytic investigation and the inferences of the econometric estimations to respond to critiques raised.
Determinants of income diversification of flue cured tobacco barn owners in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Jayamanna, G.G.M.D.T.; Dharmadasa, R.A.P.I.S.; Abeysekara, N.N.R.; Ekanayake, E.M.J.B.
Except tobacco farming, tobacco barn owners move to different income sources such as other crop cultivation and non-Agricultural activities due to clear differences in the living status. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the determinants of flue cured barn owner’s income diversification and share of income sources to total household income at Galewela, Polonnaruwa and Mahiyanganaya in Sri Lanka. The study drew a sample of 302 flue cured barn owners through random sampling technique from the three different regions and the data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Herfindhal diversification index and Censored Tobit regression. The results indicate that the level of income diversification among the flue cured tobacco barn owners in Sri Lanka depicted by the inverse of Herfindhal index is 3.02. According to Herfindhal index, the highest income diversification is observed in Mahiyangana area while the lowest income diversification is observed in Galewela area. The age of the barn owner, experience in tobacco cultivation, land ownership of the barn owner, total land availability (leased and tenure), capital goods ownership (tractors), tobacco specific resource endowment (number of barns), and distance to the nearest town were the major determinants of income shares from different sources of activities.
Dimensions of Rural Poverty in Sri Lanka: An attempt to identify the crucial aspects of well-being of rural poor
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Semasinghe, W.M.
Though, identification of the dimensions of poverty of a specific setting is crucial for poverty analysis and designing targeted poverty reducing programs, there is no consensus among researchers, policymakers etc. on the dimensions of poverty. In fact, the criteria for selecting dimensions used in the literature remain controversial. In the Sri Lankan context, though, poverty has been greatly discussed recently as in many other developing countries, most of the analysis focused solely on the identification of incidence and trends of poverty based on uni-dimensional approach. It is hard to find the methodical attempts which made to identify the aspects of well-being and poverty. The main objective of this paper was to identify the dimensions of rural poverty. Qizilbash‟s „core poor‟ framework was applied in this analysis. Findings revealed that food, clean drinking water, agricultural lands, clothes, education and knowledge, health care, housing, income (money), and sanitation are the crucial aspects of well-being of rural people.
Export competitiveness of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Sri Lanka: a case study based on the gem and jewellery sector
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Dollawatta, N.N.W.; Dasanayaka, S.W.S.B.
The factors affecting the export competitiveness of Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) are very complex. From the firm’s point of view, the trading environment SMEs conducts their business play an important role. Thus, a trade-enabling environment, based on adequate trade policies, an efficient trade and customs administration and good infrastructure are critical for enterprises to compete effectively in the competitive global market. Today international competition became more innovative and knowledge based, understanding trade performance goes beyond the parameters of the traditional comparative advantage paradigm and stressed the role of technology and continuous innovation for international competitiveness. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the assessment of export competitiveness by investigating the influence of firm and industry specific characteristics in the gem and jewellery products sub sector in Sri Lanka. Structured questionnaire survey followed by descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of data was performed to identify the key factors for the export competitiveness. This study revealed that the firms export orientation, human capital and technological capabilities have significant relations to the export competitiveness of the firms. Furthermore, the government policy, freight facilities and distribution, product variability, research and development, export market promotion attitudes at the industry and firm levels have significant impact for the export competitiveness.
Financial Liberalization Index for Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Adikari, A.M.P.
Financial liberalization is a process of liberalizing the financial system of an economy by reducing controls in interest rates, financial intermediaries, and markets. Since the mid-1980s, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) started financial liberalization as a basic frame work for developing member countries to accelerate economic growth. Sri Lanka has been involved this process since 1977.This study attempts to establish an index to evaluate the complex process of financial liberalization in Sri Lanka by focusing on important changes in the financial sector. The study has used major policy components of financial liberalization to construct financial liberalization index at a particular time. In order to derive the index, an arbitrary value is assigned to each of the policy variables. Each policy variable can take a value between 0 and1.The value is depending on the implementation phases of the policy. Time series annual data from1977 to 2011 are used to construct the index. The principle Component Method is used as an analysis method. This index is helpful to evaluate the impact of financial liberalization policies on various aspect of the economy. The constructed index shows that financial liberalization has gradually increased from 1997to 2011, though the policies are implemented since 1977 in Sri Lanka.
The impact of migration on the marital relations and personal development: with reference five villages in Walallawita Regional Secretary Division, Matugama
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Wijewardhana, B.V.N.; Kumari, L.M.S.N.
The family is the smallest unit in the society and it faces a large number of problems. In the current social set up, one of the major problems that a family encounters is finance. In finding solutions to financial problems, many poor householders resort to foreign employment. According to sociological findings, foreign migration creates many adverse sociological and psychological consequences. In this study, the researcher tried to find out the impact of migration on the marital relations. Miriswatta, Pahala Hewessa, Lihiniyawa, Kumbadoowa and Pelawatta in Walallawita were selected as the study location as there were many migrant workers in the area.Fifty samples were selected. The reports of Divisional Secretary Office and Grama Niladhari officers helped in selecting this sample. Forty husbands who have migrant wives and ten wives who have migrant husbands were included. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Out of the total sample, 64% migrant workers work in Middle East countries while the remaining 36% in other countries like Korea, Singapore and Maldives. Saudi Arabia was selected by most of female migrant workers. It is more than 75%. 92% migrant workers are working as housemaids. Most of them are female. Remigration can be identified in this selected sample. 72% migrant workers have migrated more than once. A large number of problems can be identified in these families. The major target of these migrant workers is to build a new house. But 90% migrant workers could not reach it. Many husbands were addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. Alcohol was used by 80% husbands daily. 60% of men and women who migrated did not approve this. They were in the view that the migration is not the best way to earn money. 76% percents of parents (who have migrant father or mother) have faced a lot of problems with their children. Many fathers have faced diffulties in feeding, protecting and solving problems of their children. According to the ideas of the sample, children who have migrant parents in the Middle East may have less personality than other children. 64% agreement can be identified from the sample about the negative personal development of children because of their parental migration. There could be more than 75% agreement by the sample about the high possibility of family problems because of migration. Both set of analyzed data reveal that the migration for foreign employment has directly affected not only the marital relations, but also their children’s personal development.
Indian Environmentalism: Discourse, Politics and Fragments
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Tripathy, Jyotirmaya
It is often customary to represent environmentalism in the industrialised North as a predominantly middle class phenomenon whereas Indian environmentalism is hyphenated with questions of equity and distributive justice. When it is true that Indian environmental activism is a response to developmental challenges posed by the state and the penetration of global capital, there is an uncritical and unproblematic theorization of such activism that often reduces Indian environmentalism to questions of life and livelihood. The present paper challenges conventional theoretical assumptions of Indian environmentalism by highlighting the fractures within the theory and practice of Indian environmental discourses. It engages with questions like how competing conceptions of environment and development bring forth new dimensions to human-environment relationship. How the political expressions of these movements repress and produce conflicting narratives? What counts as environment and environmental problems? Drawing from the theoretical vocabulary of post-structuralism, the paper uses existing theoretical literature as an entry point to engage with more critical questions of representation, authenticity etc. It also uses qualitative data drawn from visits to two areas of environmental activism (anti-POSCO movement and anti-Vedanta movement in Odisha) which includes interviews with various groups of people. At a theoretical level, the paper argues that representing Indian environmentalism as a survival imperative not only zoifies affected people, but also projects the North as the subject of environmental history. The site visit and interviews establish that affected people in the POSCO and Vedanta project areas are not uniform in their response to ideas like, development‟, state and „people‟. It is also revealed that questions of identity, class and gender mediate the way people experience state and „development‟.
The Making of Womanhood in Early India: Pativrata in the Mahabharata and Ramayana
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Kang, Myungnam
As the symbol of a patriarchal society, the Pativratas have been recognized as the ideal women in the brahmanical tradition. Traditionally Sita, Savitri, Arundhati, Anasuya and Damayanti have long been celebrated as the Pativratas. They accept chastity,2 submissiveness and wifely devotion as the highest qualities of their selfhood. They practice and pursue stridharma (pativrata dharma) during their entire life and even in their previous or afterlife. Sometimes the extreme devotion of stridharma enabled them to acquire extraordinary power. Their sexuality is totally controlled by their husbands. They all belong to the higher social varnas in the society. Since the husband is equated with god, to be worshipped according to the pativrata dharma, the most miserable situation for the pativrata is the death of her husband (god). In this paper, will focus on some of these depictions of the ideal women to bring out how the brahmanical tradition in early India was constructing notions of womanhood in conformity with caste and other social denominators to reinforce notions of social order and harmony, which privileged those in positions of social power.
Medicinal values of plants that are habitat to coastal areas of Sri Lanka: A literary study
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Gunaratna, T.A.N.R.; Samarathunga, D.K.; Liyanage, J.A.
Herbs cover the complete range of growth habits and sizes of plants. As a tropical country there are several plants available in Sri Lanka’s coastal areas that are habitat in large scale. Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Pandanus tectorius and Calotropis gigantea are the plants and creeping vines which are available in large range. They are rich in pharmacodynamics, mentioned in Ayurveda authentic books and as well as in the details of Sri Lankan oral tradition. But none of that information is famous among Sri Lankans. This literary study was conducted to identify the medicinal values Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Pandanus tectorius and Calotropis gigantea which are habitat to the coastal part of Sri Lanka for conservation, sustainable development of natural medicines and share the benefits of their medicinal value. Study was based on the Ayurveda and Sri Lankan traditional authentic books and findings related to the plants were considered and analyzed. According to the results obtained, pacts of whole plant’s parts such as flowers, leaves, bark, roots and fruits have medicinal values and they are used for medicines. Every plant has pharmacodynamic actions which are related to Nerve system, Gastro intestinal system, Respiratory system, Blood circulatory system, Urinary system, Reproductive system and Immune system. Results emphasize the medicinal utility of Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Pandanus tectorius and Calotropis gigantea and it is essential to bring it up to the Sri Lankan society for the enhancement of natural medicine through the natural resources.
Nutrition knowledge, food habits and healthy attitude of graduates on diet related chronic non-communicable disease: a cross sectional study in the Southern Eastern University of Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Mufas, A.H.M.; Rifas, A.H.M.; Fareeza, A.H.L.; Perera, O.D.A.N.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are not transmitted from person to person, are of long duration and generally slow in progression. In Sri Lanka, diet-related chronic NCDs currently account for 18.3 percent of all deaths and 10.2 percent of public hospital expenditures. In 2025, chronic diseases are expected to account for 20.9 percent of all deaths. Implications of NCDs include reduced life expectancy, income and savings all of which have a great impact on the economic productivity of a country, bringing about the spiral of ill health and poverty. Graduates are an important section in the society and policy makers in future. Therefore, it is important to estimate the nutritional knowledge on the diet- related chronic NCDs among the graduates. A descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the nutrition knowledge on diet-related chronic NCDs among graduates of the south Eastern University of Sri Lanka. Purposive sampling method was used to select 200 graduates from different areas. Fifty (50) graduates from each batch from each faculty (Faculty of Applied Science, Faculty of Management studies and Commerce, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arabic language) were recruited. Questionnaires containing 36 questions [Knowledge of Applied Nutrition (KN), Food Preparation (KP) and Perceived Confidence in Cooking Skills (PC)] were distributed. Knowledge was assessed using a score system, descriptive statistics and SPSS software package. The overall knowledge of graduates was poor; not a single graduate was identified with good knowledge. Gender, home area, religious group of the respondents were not associated with the knowledge level (p>0.05). 33% of Applied Science graduates had a satisfactory level of knowledge and it was significant when compared to the other faculties (p<0.05). 64.5% of graduates had obtained their knowledge from newspapers and magazines whilst, 3.5% of the graduates had obtained their knowledge from the nutritionist / dietitian.
Personal Level Challenges Associated with Inability of Youth in Urban Undeserved Settlements to gain Productive Employment
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Edirisinghe, I.K.
Many empirical research studies have highlighted that the majority living in urban underserved settlements are engaged in insecure, low income livelihood sources mainly in the informal sector. In that context, the present study sought to understand the personal level factors contributing to the inability of youth in underserved settlements to gain productive employment. A representative, random sample of one hundred youth (men and women from the age group 15 – 29 years and who have left schools) was selected from two underserved settlements in the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretary‟s Division for the study. The study has identified thirteen factors as the personal level limitations inhibiting their access to productive employment. Dropping out from schools, low level of educational attainment, lack of participation in vocational training, lack of participation in high demanding vocational training programmes in the labour market, limited access to training programmes offered by recognized training providers and dropping out from vocational training programmes were among the first six factors. The next four factors were lack of interest in investing on human capital, lack of skills in obtaining information on human capital investment and on competitive labour markets, low levels of aspirations and passive acceptance of the underprivileged circumstances. High frequency of changing occupations, marriage at very young ages and lack of skills in handling issues relating to personal relationships were among the last three factors. It can be also concluded that the above factors identified are often seen to be inter-related and therefore it is not easy to resolve the multifaceted problems that confront youth in these settlements. Therefore, this interdependence nature has to be considered with much concern in order to find solutions for these problems.
Rethinking the Disability Digital Divide in Relations to Visual Disability in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Wedasinghe, N.; Wicramarachchi, R.
People who are blind or visually impaired do not have equal opportunities to access information technology and internet access compared to the non disabled population in Sri Lanka. The level of usage of ICT by the disabled and non disabled are different in developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study is to find the reasons behind the digital divide among the people with visual disabilities in Sri Lanka and proposed solutions to eliminate digital divide among the Sri Lankan visually impaired differently able community. This study was conducted based on the literature behind the Digital divide, social construction of disability, The digital age, the development of information technology and Internet related technology and Other countries and Sri Lankan corporate policies related to information technology and main problems and issues faced by the visually impaired people when accessing ICT and Internet. In order to collect information on the Sri Lankan disability digital divide, interviews were conducted with a range of government representatives and more than 75 visually impaired civil and military computer users in Sri Lanka. As a result of this study it has been indicated that compared to other developed nations, Sri Lanka has also addressed the issue by implementing Nanasala project through ICTA and improving the telecommunication infrastructure with in the country and many other projects via private and public institutions with in the country. Survey results indicated that many Sri Lankans with disabilities are reluctant to use Information technology due to poverty, lack of awareness, lack of interest and their social and cultural backgrounds and also as their first language is not very well supported by the computer system. These factors are highly co-related with digital disability in Sri Lanka. Conclusions and recommendations are made by proposing implementation of several projects under the supervision of the central government. They are to introduce a web portal for visually disabled people with language support, more training and awareness of the ICT among this community, encourage and develop screen reader software which can support first languages such as Tamil and Sinhala.
Sacred Geography of Chalukya Temples
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Niharika, S.
Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Mahakuta are situated in Bagalkot district of the state of Karnataka on and near the banks of river Malaprabha. The Malaprabha valley became the settling ground for human habitation from earliest times. This is evident from a number of prehistoric remains that have been discovered. The reason why the Chalukyas of Badami chose this area as their dynastic hold and why they built the various religious monuments in the region appears to have been a mystery until recent times. It is a possibility that the earlier sites of Guledgudda, Bachangudda, Kyaddigeri, Chilapur, Siddhanakolla and Nagral displaying dolmens and megaliths made the adjoining geography sacred which is why when the Chalukyas of Badami came in power, they found these areas ideal from religious point of view for temple construction. This may also mean an evolution of religious beliefs where the Chalukyas might not have believed in religiosity of dolmens and megaliths but surely understood „sacred-ness‟ of the landscape. These transformations led to a reinvention of the landscape for the construction of temples often in close proximity to rock shelters and megalithic structures. Sacred landscapes during Chalukya reign were complex religious and memorial spaces. There was a clear association between the religious affiliation of Chalukya rulers and those of pastoralists in the region especially in the second half of their rule. Female deity worship such as that of Saptamatrikas and Lajja-gauri, signifies the introduction of fertility rituals. This incorporation of ritual practices and beliefs indicates a complex political and social relationship that the Chalukyas forged in order to continue their rule. It can be said that the Malaprabha valley was chosen as the core area by the Chalukyas of Badami because of its rich „past-histories‟.
Seasonal Feeding Ecology of the Elephants in the Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka: (A Geographical Survey)
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Isthikar, M.A.M.
Elephants (elphahas maximus maximus) play a vital role as the Flag ship Species in Sri Lanka. As the study area, Udawalawe National Park (UNP) is one of the ideal national parks for elephants in the country where they are considered to be a key stone species of the park. The entire area of the park within the declared boundary, together with the reservoir, is 32,315 ha. The major vegetation type of the park includes primary, secondary and degraded secondary forest, grass lands, shrubs and teak plantations. The aim of this study is to explore the feeding ecology of elephants in two different seasons at the UNP, Sri Lanka. Data for this research was obtained through primary and secondary data collection. Primary data was obtained from the east, west and south of the park in April and June through observation and discussions with park officers. Data analysis was carried out based on obtained both qualitative and quantitative data. According to the study, east and south areas of the UNP are drier than the west and north, and the vegetation is comprised of wet monsoon forest in the north, dry monsoon forest in the south. Chenna cultivation is very obvious in the adjoining areas of the park. There are more than 90 dominant plant species belonging to 38 families in the park. Particularly, secondary forest areas and grass lands provide food for around 325 elephants in the park throughout the year. Elephants spend more than 15 hours per day on feeding. During the day time they spend inside the park and at night around 7.00 pm to 1.00 am they spend outside the park especially in March and April. They consume around 140 kilograms of food and 80 - 160 litres of water per day, and they are getting water from Udawalawe reservoir for drinking and also for the purpose of lowering body temperature. Their diet includes different types of grasses, as well as juicy leaves which they are getting from the park and also in March and April they are feeds fruits and vegetable through croup riding outside the park. Beside this, elephants consume minerals from eating red soil which is available in the eastern part of the park, drink underground water for sodium and also eat barking teak trees in the southern part of the park to obtain the minerals from them.
Socio-economic Schemata Conveyed through Physical Appearance of a Criminal in an Eyewitness Context
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Nirmani, W.A.S.; Karunanayake, D.D.K.S.
The prime factor of wrongful convictions in global criminal justice systems is mostly due to evidence provided by eyewitness misidentifications. Among a wide array of causes for this fallibility in memory, schema-driven false memory gains a crucial role. A host of applied cognitive psychology researches have uncovered that a series of characteristics of the defendant and the characteristics of the witness are causing erroneous reconstructive memory of the witness. Therein schemata on physical appearance which convey socio-economic status (SES) of the criminal are assumed to lead into reconstructive memory in eyewitness testimony. The purpose of the present study, therefore, lied in an attempt to understand the prevailing physical and socio-economic status schemata of a typical criminal and their effects on visual memory of eyewitnesses. A qualitative research design was adopted in data collection and data analysis and six participants were given two schema-consistent and schema-inconsistent pictures that elaborated two different crime scenes of bank robberies. The data were gathered in two different circumstances as immediate recall and delayed recall. The collected data were analyzed in using thematic analysis. The results provided evidence for prevailing schemata on physical appearance that convey information on the criminal‟s SES. These schemata also conveyed evidence to prove that participants have selected and recalled information in accordance to their prevailing schemata on physical traits and apparent SES of the criminals. Thus, it is concluded in the study that according to their inferences on the physical appearance and socio-economic status, eye witnesses make assumptions on their recalling details related to behaviour, person‟s character, criminality, and background of the crime scene.
Textile Industry of Ancient Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Dilhani, Anuruddhika
Textile Industry could be identified as one of highly valued industries in ancient Sri Lanka. The origin of the Textile Industry is indefinite. But there is adequate proof that this industry was been in existence during the period of various civilizations of different country. The first example of textile appears from the Neolithic period. Only Linen clothes were produced in Egypt. Information and paintings regarding the production of Linen are illustrated in most of the grave yards and machines made of timber have been used for weaving textiles from the ancient times. It has been revealed from archaeological excavations carried out on pre- historic civilizations in Indo River valleys that prior to the arrival of Aryans, people living in India have been using unstitched clothing in the from shawls covering the body. Factors regarding clothing in Sri Lanka is very scarce. According to chronicles and inscriptions, there is proof that people of Sri Lanka have been engaged with textile industry during the period prior to the Christian era earliest sources are not available regarding any of the attire used by prince by Vijaya or Kuveni. It could be implied that people of his island may have been making their own clothing at the time of the arrival of Aryans too. The objective of this study in related to the nature of ancient textile industry during the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period.
Towards fundamentalism: globalization, moral order and the case of Iran
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Lecamwasam, N.O.; Gunasekera, O.D.A.
Globalization is a multi-faceted phenomenon that causes the steady erosion of political, cultural and economic boundaries of nations by facilitating an increasingly uniform world system. Culturally, globalization expects to substitute traditional and allegedly parochial cultural practices with so called progressive values which just happen to coincide with western ones. However, cultural globalization is not a simple matter of replacing one culture with another. The glaring incompatibilities between tradition and modernity have resulted in the stiff rejection of a global order by fiercely traditional societies for whom compromising their identity is not an option, thus making global culture a far-fetched dream. Iran stands as a classic example of such resistance. Despite its initial endorsement of modern American values during the Pahlavi regime, the country prioritized the preservation of conservative values after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. With the aim of discovering the connection between globalization and religious fundamentalism, the paper explores cultural and religious underpinnings of Iran’s transformation that collectively manifested themselves as an anti-globalization movement that regarded globalization as corrupt and extravagant, qualities with which the existing monarchy was identified. The turn to Islam was thus necessitated to preserve pristine Iranian values which were viewed as the essential anti-thesis of globalization. Using secondary sources including books and web articles, the paper takes a historical approach to Iran’s case and concentrates on the growing antipathy of traditional societies towards globalization which makes them cling to their familiar value systems ever more staunchly. In conclusion it argues that Iran’s value system cannot be considered backward simply because it is incompatible with that of the West. It does not arrest development in an absolute sense but simply offends the prospect of a global model of development which, after all, is only the ultimate measure of development in the eyes of the West.
Women work issues in rural development: a case of m.g.nrega implementation in west Bengal, India
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Sarmistha saha
Based on gender and development (GAD) approach, this paper explores how M.G.NREGA is opening a new window for the ease of livelihood for rural women in India. M.G.NREGA is the first right based and demand driven employment generating scheme of the country which ensures some special provisions for rural women. The focus of these provisions is to mainstream the rural women into the contemporary discourses of economic development. The paper keeps an inner look about the expectations from this scheme for the development of women livelihood in rural areas and the challenges in ground level implementation. The problem addressed in the paper is the women work issues generating through the successful implementation of the scheme. It is important to find out how the full benefits of the scheme can be explored. This exploration is needed for a large section of the societal benefit and improved livelihood. For the entire study, a twofold approach is taken. First, analysis of available literatures to understand the possible outcomes of the scheme with current discourses of economic development. Second, analysis of primary and secondary data for revealing the characteristics of the problem based on gender dynamics of the region. The study relates findings from the field survey of 210 samples in the state of West Bengal, India. Intensive field study has identified several positive outcomes like saving of time for domestic works, mainstreaming of women labour, generation of income and livelihood security for village women, reorganization of women‟s work etc., with wide regional variations. The study has identified major challenges to get these benefits. The result drawn from the study is general and regionally applicable.
Your morning cuppa and the language of disability: a study of usage of metaphors and attitudes in telugu news reporting
(Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Bendukurthi, Nookaraju
Language is an important arbiter of meaning: it builds our understanding of the world and shapes our beliefs. What we know and what we believe about a particular phenomenon has a lot to do with the specific words used to describe and discuss it. Framing disability language in the vernacular media is a matter of contentious debate. Much abuse and harassment of disabled persons occurs as a matter of ―hate reporting‖ in journalism, which is as offensive as an abusive act or expression. The ―objective reporting‖ of journalism has been redirected and hijacked by the ―dominant meaning‖ of elite media in congruence with their ideology. The impact of journalism on framing language related to disability in the news media often negatively impacts the lives of people with disabilities. Ableist language frames are also responsible for creating, modifying and even changing societal and individual attitudes. The most commonly found Ableist vocabulary, often used metaphorically, such as „going blind‟, „turning a deaf ear‟, and so on in print media, lends meanings of deficit and worthlessness to disability. Such usage gives us ample evidence of conceptualizations and beliefs that inform the contemporary understanding of disability. Early insights from frame analysis of Telugu regional print media have prompted closer attention to the language of disability that filters audience perspectives about human differences. This paper investigates the dynamics of disability terminology in Telugu newspapers and focuses in the inadvertent and habitual usage of stigmatizing terminology in media, which allows us to identify the realities of a life of difference - physical, cognitive or cultural.