The History of Sri Lanka

(Hardback)

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Description

Sri Lankaan island nation located in the Indian Ocean has a population of approximately 19 million. Despite its diminuative size, however, Sri Lanka has a long and complex history. The diversity of its people has led to ethnic, religious, and political conflicts that continue to exist. Peebles describes the experiences of the country, from its earliest settlers, to civil war, to its current state, allowing readers to better understand this often misunderstood country. With an emphasis on the 20th century, chapters discuss the economy, religion, culture, and government of Sri Lanka. A timeline outlines key events in Sri Lankan history, as well as biographies of notable people, and a bibliographic essay.

Reviews

Peebles presents the history of Sri Lanka in this volume that is part of a series aimed at students and general readers. Along the way, he integrates geography, economics, culture, colonialism, and Sinhalese and Tamil nationalism into the discussion, and describes the country's independence from Britain, ethnic conflicts, quality of life, the recent civil war and quest for peace, and the 2004 tsunami. Brief biographies of key figures are appended. * Reference & Research Book News *
[D]esigned for students in middle school through college and public libraries, will give the reader a better understanding of the world.[o]ffers a well-organized format and clear, concise writing. * Multicultural Review *

Author Bio

Patrick Peebles is Professor of History at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.