Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka

(Hardback)

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Sri Lanka has had a celebrated history, a long colonial past, and since independence in 1948 has passed through a series of crises and political experiments. It has had a remarkable record of voters turning out unpopular governments, often by sweeping margins. On 8 January 2015 voters again performed this feat when Maithripala Sirisena, representing a coalition of disparate parties, defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidency. Rajapaksa was turning the nation away from its democratic heritage towards authoritarianism and militarism. Independent Sri Lankas economy stagnated for decades before it began to grow in the 1980s. It has had significant economic growth since the end of the 26-year war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. Although reconciliation between the Sinhalese Buddhist majority and Hindu, Muslim and Christian minorities seems distant, prospects for Sri Lanka seem better than they have been for decades.

The Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Sri Lanka.

Reviews

With more than 700 cross-referenced entries, this volume joins a sizeable collection of historical dictionaries issued by the publisher, all aiming to summarize the essential information about a place, time period, or research problem. Historian Peebles has assembled for this volume's A-Z entries an expected array of historical figures, geographical names, political formations, and more. The introduction effectively establishes the scope of the volume. The book concludes with supplemental material in appendixes (recent historical electoral data, economic and population indicators, and names of colonial era and post-independence heads of state), plus a glossary of Tamil and Sinhala terms. The work's nearly 30-page concluding classified bibliography divides mostly books and some journal articles into discrete subject areas (history, culture, economy, politics, education, flora and fauna, etc.), and includes a brief section of Internet resources. Summing Up: Recommended.... General readers. * Choice Reviews *
Anyone who wants to delve into the details of recent Sri Lankan history will find a wealth of material here. * Reference Reviews *

Author Bio

Patrick Peebles is professor emeritus of History at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He is a specialist on the history of Sri Lanka, where he served in the Peace Corps 1962-64.