States, Nations, Sovereignty: Sri Lanka, India and the Tamil Eelam Movement

by Sumantra Bose

"Sumantra Bose captures the discipline, bravery, and ultimacy of the Tiger movement, exemplified by the cyanide capsules fighters carry around their necks." --The Journal of Asian Studies "At a time when obfuscation has become the hallmark of academic writing, this book, with its clear handling of its subject, presents a welcome relief. The theme of the book is one of the most vexed questions of politics and political science--that of nationalism and its relation to the notions of state and sovereignty. . . . In a competently handled study, Sumantra Bose traces the development of Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka since the early colonial period. . . . The book is an important addition to contemporary discussions of nationalism--especially in a South Asian context." --Business Standard Momentous developments across the globe have stimulated a major revival of interest in the crisis of the modern juridical state and the phenomenon of mass nationalism; South Asia has proved no exception to this trend. Sumantra Bose examines a substantive case study of the bloody conflict between Sri Lanka′s two major nationalities within a sophisticated and rigorous theoretical and conceptual framework. Arguing that approaches to secessionist movements and violent conflict must transcend the dominant paradigm of ethnicity, he suggests that such conflicts are fundamentally contests between monolithic unitary conceptions of state authority and popular aspirations to sovereignty. The author demonstrates how the policies and actions of the modern, centralized, and hegemonic state (in the case of Sri Lanka, the Sinhala-Buddhist entity) generate mass opposition, which in highly diversified societies often takes the form of ostensibly ethnic national consciousness. Students and scholars of political science, South Asian, ethnic and racial studies, and international relations will find this an insightful and rewarding volume. "The author has advanced a set of persuasive arguments in this lucidly written book which can be profitably read by anyone interested in the challenges posed by new nationalism to the contemporary state systems. . . . Sumantra Bose has made a significant contribution to the literature." -The Administrator

236 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 1994

About the author

Sumantra Bose is an Indian politician scientist and professor of international and comparative politics at the London School of Economics. He specialises in the study of ethnic and national conflicts and their management, with a particular focus on the Indian subcontinent and the former Yugoslavia.

Reviews

[Enakshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very rare to find non-fiction books on the Sri Lankan Civil War that aren’t biased towards one side or the other. This book was a splendid and very thorough look at the factors that led to the ethnic conflict. I also liked how the author discussed the concept of self-determination in regards to the Tamil Eelam movement, which is not something I had previously thought much about.

I’m only sad about two things:
1) that some dingbat had written racist comments and incorrect facts in the margins of the library book and seems to have completely misunderstood the content &
2) that there is no updated version of this.

[Laxshen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal book that is neutral about the Tamil Eelam movement and their history