Sheds fresh light on the historical roots of the ethnic crisis in the country. Its interest extends beyond contemporary politics into history, anthropology and development studies.

Chapter 1 Chapter oneIntroduction: the power of the past, JonathanSpencer; Part I Colonialism, history and racism; Chapter 2 The generation of communal identities, Elizabeth Nissan, R.L. Stirrat; Chapter 3 Chapter threeThe people of the lion: the Sinhala midentity and ideology in history and historiography, R.A.L.H. Gunawardana; Chapter 4 Chapter fourHistorical images in the British period, John D.Rogers; Chapter 5 Chapter five The politics of the Tamil past, DagmarHellmann-Rajanayagam; Part 2 Part II History at a moment of crisis; Chapter 6 Chapter six Nationalist rhetoric and local practice: the fate of the village community in Kukulewa, James Brow; Chapter 7 Chapter sevenA compound of many histories: themany pasts of an east coast Tamilcommunity, Mark P.Whitaker; Chapter 8 Chapter eight Rural awakenings: grassroots development and the cultivation of a national past in rural Sri Lanka, Michael D. Woost; Part 3 Part IIIThe politics of the past; Chapter 9 Chapter nineJ.R.Jayewardene, righteousnessand realpolitik, Steven Kemper; Chapter 10 Chapter tenNewspaper nationalism: Sinhala identity as historical discourse, SerenaTennekoon; Chapter 11 Chapter elevenAfterword: scared places, violent spaces, DanielE.Valentine;