New Publication: Contemporary Sri Lankan Literature and Art: The Creation of a New Community in the Aftermath of War

The book, edited by Prof. Dr. Stefan Horlacher and Dr. des. Thilini Meegaswatta, has been published by Routledge.

This volume brings together art, literature, and critical analyses to examine which
concepts and blueprints of (re-)negotiation of national, ethnic and religious identities may
pave the way towards a more inclusive yet open and plural Sri Lankan society. It looks to
develop new, creative, and alternative concepts of community and nation-building as
envisaged in Sri Lanka’s rich contemporary art scene, i.e. literature, theatre, film, and
performing and visual arts. The individual chapters authored by prominent academics as
well as renowned artists critically engage with a pertinent selection of contemporary Sri
Lankan works of art and their visions of what a multi-ethnic, multi-religious Sri Lanka
might look like in the aftermath of three decades of war, a severe economic crisis and the
tenacious protests of 2022 (Aragalaya). The first of its kind, this volume includes analyses
ranging from disciplines such as Anthropology, Literary and Cultural Studies, Film and
Performance Studies, South Asian Studies and Art History to topics such as the question
of truth in testimonial literature, Buddhist nationalism, Sinhala identity politics and the
(im)possibility of transitional justice. It is supplemented with interviews and unpublished
short stories and poetry from well-known resident and diasporic Sri Lankan writers as well
as art originating from the Aragalaya. 

Contributors include: Neloufer de Mel, Minoli Salgado, Shermal Wijewardene, Benedikt
Korf, Thamali Kithsiri, Lars Waldorf, Nilanjana Premaratna, Neluka Silva, Priyantha
Udagedara, Thamotharampillai Sanathanan, Sujith Rathnayake, Stefan Horlacher •
Ruhanie Perera, Thilini Meegaswatta, Romesh Gunesekera, Ameena Hussein,
Ayathurai Santhan and Vivimarie Vanderpoorten.