Perspectives on Sri Lanka’s Academic Spectrum: Social Sciences, History, and Cultural Insights
Manoj Jinadasa
Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and PhD in Media and Cultural Studies at Newcastle University, UK
Perspectives on Sri Lanka’s Academic Spectrum: Social Sciences, History, and Cultural Insights
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This article aims to examine stagnation and exaggeration: understanding the failures of Sri Lankan academia and politics.
The dialogues and discussions between Sarath Amunugama and Nirmal Devasiri provide valuable insights into the history of local political culture. Through their conversations, we learn about historical incidents and evidence illustrating the development of Sri Lankan social sciences and humanities education. Therefore, this helps us understand what changes are needed in our national social sciences and humanities academic culture and learning communities. By addressing these issues, we can better respond to the current social, cultural, political, and psychological challenges we witness today.
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However, these discussions lack insight into how today’s politics operate at the intersection of local and global spheres. The alienated utopia of cultural anthropology reflects how our current human society is in flux, influenced by postcolonial Western neoliberal economics and the psychometrics of being ‘developed’ and living an economically and physically ‘luxurious and comfortable’ life.
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One of the critical issues in contemporary Sri Lankan political culture and values is the persistence of feudal and corrupt practices. Therefore, this is exacerbated by the vivid and exaggerated behaviour of individuals who enter the social and cultural elite, such as those in education and politics. These individuals seek to highlight their hyperbolic narratives before the public to maintain their status as ‘pora’ (social pundits or figures). This phenomenon reflects how Sri Lanka today is struggling due to the self-serving mentality of these elites, who are more focused on their public image than on independent thought or meaningful contributions to local and regional development.
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These local pundits and political figures often avoid being independent thinkers or scholars who could contribute to understanding and exploring social and cultural contexts. Instead, they focus on maintaining their status by imitating and importing European or colonial practices, even in the postcolonial era. This approach fails to adapt to the local people’s needs and mentalities, which are influenced by the intersection of living standards, socio-cultural beliefs, and deeply ingrained South Asian religious and agrarian traditions. As a result, genuine local development that resonates with the region’s unique cultural and economic conditions is neglected.
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Moreover, postcolonial Sri Lankan academics and socio-political thinkers often stress and exaggerate their personal histories, which are intertwined with hegemonic political masculinity and supported by existing patriarchal, heteronormative cultural stipulations. This mentality is inherently connected to European colonial Victorian ideals emphasising elite cultural and social power. They flamboyantly highlight their living standards and the nature of their personal, private, upper-class lives, aligning themselves with the powerful social elites of the corrupt political and cultural class. Meanwhile, people from lower classes and their youth aspire to climb this hyperbolic, elite, corrupt class to become role models or iconic figures within their own poor and non-elite communities.
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The existing scholarship in Sri Lankan social sciences and humanities, particularly among those analysing and exploring history and social culture through the lenses of social, political, cultural, and psychological anthropology, remains deeply engrossed in postcolonial iconic models and nostalgia. These scholars often dwell on their personal and historical memories, using them as a means to cope with current mental depression in the face of the dilapidated economic, political, and social conditions of the global South.
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Instead of addressing the present scenario and focusing their minds on current realities, these postcolonial elites or pundits cling to their old histories and memories. As a result, the current academic landscape in the social sciences and humanities in Sri Lanka and the global South remains stagnant, and we cannot tackle the present challenges and complexities of political, social, and cultural ramifications. These scholars, who imitate Western colonial thinkers and their hyperbolic narratives, limit social exploration and reconstruction boundaries.
I suggest they critically examine the present scenario and consider their cultural, social, and political genealogy within the context of their past histories and narratives. In short, much of the ruin and stagnation comes from these academics or elites, who are socially and culturally prominent but remain trapped in their private perceptions and limited knowledge boundaries. They are reluctant to expand their thinking and recognise what is happening today, often viewing it through outdated lenses and maintaining patron-client relationships as a mechanical, cultural construction. Thus, this hinders their ability to grasp and respond to current realities.
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