Sinha-Le and the ethno-religious identity wars
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Minorities assert their identity by overtly ethno-religious or other ideological displays as a reaction to dominance by a majority. The majority feels threatened and jacks up its own displays of identity, ensuing an escalation of identity wars
One has to admit that the Sinha-Le poster is well designed in terms of aesthetics. The quality of the poster indeed points to some level of sophistication in design and execution though the message it attempts to convey is unwholesome. Apparent spontaneity of its acceptance too shows that the message has hit a chord in society. Pictures of private property spray-painted with the symbols send shivers up the spine, but to attribute the lawful display of the symbol simply to racism or stupidity is not the right reaction.
Sadly it is exactly what we are hearing. Recently a senior minister was heard repeating a quote found on social media. Sinha-Le means that The Sinhalese have their beginnings in Bestiality (Suppadevi copulating with a Lion), Patricide (Sinhabhu killing the lion, his father), Incest (Sinhabahu marrying his sister Singhaseevali) and so on. These smart quotes miss the point, I believe.
All ethnic or religious identities are based on stories that are more fiction than fact. Often these stories are atrocities dressed up as heroic deeds. In his essay ‘How to build a nation,’ Fukuyama quotes from Machiavelli to note, “All just enterprises including current liberal democracies originate in an original crime.” Over time these stories get whitewashed and embellished and become part of the culture. Ridiculing or even dismissal using logic makes these stories all the more precious to those who find meaning in them.
As Fukuyama further notes, building a new nation can only be done from within. That means whether you are a minority or the majority you need to understand the fears of the other, leaving arguments of who came first in what manner to historians.
Sadly it is exactly what we are hearing. Recently a senior minister was heard repeating a quote found on social media. Sinha-Le means that The Sinhalese have their beginnings in Bestiality (Suppadevi copulating with a Lion), Patricide (Sinhabhu killing the lion, his father), Incest (Sinhabahu marrying his sister Singhaseevali) and so on. These smart quotes miss the point, I believe.
All ethnic or religious identities are based on stories that are more fiction than fact. Often these stories are atrocities dressed up as heroic deeds. In his essay ‘How to build a nation,’ Fukuyama quotes from Machiavelli to note, “All just enterprises including current liberal democracies originate in an original crime.” Over time these stories get whitewashed and embellished and become part of the culture. Ridiculing or even dismissal using logic makes these stories all the more precious to those who find meaning in them.
As Fukuyama further notes, building a new nation can only be done from within. That means whether you are a minority or the majority you need to understand the fears of the other, leaving arguments of who came first in what manner to historians.
Identity wars
One approach is not to blame but to view actions and reactions of various communities as part of the ethno-religious identity wars that continue unabated in Sri Lanka or across the world for that matter. Minorities assert their identity by overtly ethno-religious or other ideological displays as a reaction to dominance by a majority. The majority feels threatened and jacks up its own displays of identity, ensuing an escalation of identity wars.
See more One approach is not to blame but to view actions and reactions of various communities as part of the ethno-religious identity wars that continue unabated in Sri Lanka or across the world for that matter. Minorities assert their identity by overtly ethno-religious or other ideological displays as a reaction to dominance by a majority. The majority feels threatened and jacks up its own displays of identity, ensuing an escalation of identity wars.
