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Rebirth of a nation or 'The incomparable toothbrush': the origin story and narrative regeneration in Sri Lanka

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 14:28 authored by Minoli Salgado
I examine the post-Independence role of Sri Lanka’s origin story, revealing the ways in which the foundational myth of the Mahavamsa functions as a conflicted site of cultural ‘encompassment’ (Kapferer) in literary and political discourse. Through an analysis of the fiction of Tissa Abeysekara, Carl Muller and the assassinated president Ranasinghe Premadasa, I show how the scripting of this myth in fiction reveals a shift from the celebratory drives of nationalism to a critique of patriotism in a way that both reflects and anticipates a broader paradigmatic shift in the construction of belonging and the outsider found in post-war Sri Lanka.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

South Asian Review

ISSN

0038-2841

Publisher

Royal Society for India, Pakistan and Ceylon

Issue

3

Volume

33

Page range

239-256

Department affiliated with

  • English Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-09-30

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