Contemporary Sri Lankan Literature and Art

The Creation of a New Community in the Aftermath of War

By: Stefan Horlacher (Editor), Thilini Meegaswatta (Editor)

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eText | 3 November 2025 | Edition Number 1

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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 It is supplemented with interviews and unpublished short stories and poetry from well-known resident and diasporic Sri Lankan writers as well as art originating from the Aragalaya.