From Civil War to Soft Authoritarianism

Ethnonationalism and Democratic Regression in Sri Lanka

Author: Neil DeVotta Series: Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series

This book shows how Sri Lanka’s civil war gradually undermined liberal democracy and caused the country to regress toward the current soft authoritarian dispensation.

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Summary

This book shows how Sri Lanka’s civil war gradually undermined liberal democracy and caused the country to regress toward the current soft authoritarian dispensation.

Description

This book shows how Sri Lanka’s civil war gradually undermined liberal democracy and caused the country to regress toward the current soft authoritarian dispensation. In doing so, it introduces the concept of 'ethnic supererogation,' a governing system built around the notion that a majority ethnic group and/or the state could go beyond the standard expectations to accommodate minority concerns and institute incentives for ethnic minorities to operate within a united state so as to preclude dissension and secession. Ethnic supererogation will be juxtaposed with various forms of ethnocentrism and control regimes, arguing that the former stands to promote stability while the latter inevitably unleash instability.