Master of Arts / Department of English / Gregory J. Eiselein / The presence and persistence of ethnicity in Sri Lanka has led scholars such as Jayadeva Uyangoda to describe Sri Lanka as an “ethnocracy” and is identified as one of the major challenges for attempts to reconcile communities after a 26-year-long civil war that ended in 2009. The emphasis on ethnicity, however, often makes it difficult for scholars to examine the discontinuities that have shaped the emergence of ethnicity as the most significant social category in the country. This thesis addresses this lacuna by providing a careful re-reading of the conditions under which ethnicity became the focus of both politics and epistemology at the turn of the 20th century in colonial Ceylon. Michel Foucault’s conceptualization of governmentality enables this examination by demonstrating how ethnicity became the terrain on which political rationalities and governmental technologies were deployed in order to shift how populations were constructed as the focus of colonial governance between 1901 and 1911. Colonial political rationalities are explored through an examination of the debate that emerged in the Census reports of P. Arunachalam (1902) and E.B. Denham (1912) over whether Ceylon is constituted by many nationalities or by one nationality—the Sinhalese—and many races. The emergence of this debate also coincided with the Crewe-McCallum Reforms of 1912 which aimed to reform the colonial state in response to the demands of the local population. Like the debate between Arunachalam and Denham, what is at stake in the reforms of 1912 is the question of whether the Island is constituted by many racial populations or a single population. The terms of these debates over ethnicity that took place over a century ago, continue to shape the tenor of Sri Lanka’s post-war political landscape and therefore provides a pathway for understanding how Sri Lanka’s post-war challenges are imbricated in the dilemmas of inhabiting its colonial present(s).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Today, the demand for higher education is growing at a rapid rate in many developing countries throughout the world. Unfortunately, many governments have realized that their public higher education systems are unable to satisfy this demand. Under this condition and strong encouragement from international donors, private higher education has begun to emerge. Sri Lanka is an example where private higher education surfaced in response to a need from its society. However, private higher education remains a foreign and elusive concept for many Sri Lankans. This study seeks to determine what are the perceptions and attributes that influence pupils and students in Sri Lanka regarding their selection between public and private higher education opportunities. This study, using traditional push-pull theory, utilized a research design that combined both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The design focused on the pupil, student, teacher, and administrator populations in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Questionnaire surveys and interviews were administered. The data produced consisted of quantitative data from the questionnaire surveys and qualitative data from the interviews, all of which were analyzed for common themes. The study concluded that the major themes of the responses included the cost of higher education, quality of higher education, recognition of higher education, and the environment within higher education institutions. Further, the study also discovered several minor themes that played a role for some pupils and students. These included the medium of instruction and the issue of social class in higher education. The recommendations proposed include a need to provide pupils with loans to pursue higher education, to increase awareness of private higher education, to establish smaller private community colleges in rural areas of Sri Lanka and to provide more interaction between public and private higher education. / 2031-01-01

A key feature of recent agricultural extension programs has been the focus on increased participation for local, rural communities in the overall decision-making process. This move towards increasing community participation has raised expectations in terms of communication: communication between central research facilities and rural communities, between rural communities and central research facilities, and amongst the rural communities themselves. In order to provide effective communication along each of these channels, attention is turning to the extension trainers deployed in the field. For extension trainers this emerging communication role is distinct from, and supplementary to, the conventional technical training function. The thesis highlights the lack of effective training in communication skills in existing extension training programs. It identifies the flip chart as the most widely used visual aid for farmer training, and the overhead projector as the most widely used visual aid for in-service training. The thesis develops a comprehensive set of training competencies and content for teaching those two technologies, derived from individual task analyses and an extensive literature review. A range of strategic alternatives for the delivery of those competencies in a developing country are then formulated and examined. Central to the different strategies considered is the use of interactive multimedia as a key delivery technology. Two proprietary CDROMs have been designed and produced specifically to the support training in the design and production skills for overhead projector and flip chart technologies. The design, content and production of the CDROMs is described, and both technical and user evaluations are presented. The two CDROMs have been field-tested in Sri Lanka, across a broad range of strategic alternatives. The outcome is a set of guidelines and specific structures for training programs in overhead projector and flip chart technologies. The guidelines are generic and broadly applicable. The case studies also indicate a particular subset of preferred strategies for the future deployment of interactive multimedia-based training in developing countries. Most specifically, the thesis indicates a balance between and the need for mix of interactive multimedia modules along with face-to-face training support / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis is a study of gender and organisation in Sri Lanka, a society of diverse cultural identities. The research question addresses factors related to women and men's orientations to work and the extent to which institutional factors, located in the broader societal context of Sri Lankan organisations, add explanatory power in analysis of the degree of job satisfaction and work perceptions. The thesis also investigates the relationship between organisational level attributes and the understanding of managers' work perceptions, as well as seeking variation at the institutional level. The main research instrument was a questionnaire, and quantitative data was generated from field surveys of 382 Sri Lankan male and female managers. The data is stratified randomly, forming a sample of top, middle and junior level managers. These managers belong to diverse Sri Lankan organisations in terms of size, ownership, and line of business. The findings illustrate that organisational level attributes have greater explanatory power in interpreting the work perceptions of male and female managers in Sri Lanka than do the institutional factors. However, qualitative interviews that were conducted reveal the salience of institutional factors to explain aspects of work perceptions. Organisational policies and recommendations that can be derived from this finding are elaborated in the conclusions. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis is a culmination of a research of a particular branch of Corporate Law, which has grown in several major parts of civilized jurisdictions. The thrust of the study was to evaluate the past, present and the future of a particular type of action known in Corporate Law under the umbrella of shareholder remedies - the 'Derivative Action' with emphasis to develop the law in one jurisdiction profiting from another. The research thus reveals how, when and where the so called action originated, the initial effects these actions had on the corporate world including shareholders, companies and related persons natural or juristic. Though much has been written by way of books, treatises and articles and several researches have dealt with the common topic shareholder remedies in its broad perspect, there is no separate study carried out on this topic in its global context with a comparative focus. This study has therefore given me the drive, initiative and courage to look at the conceptual view or the macro view of the so called 'Derivative Action' with of course special emphasis on the Australian and Sri Lankan jurisdictions in its micro aspects. This, I believe is the first time anyone has undertaken such a task. The study thus travels through distant roads of common law action to the statutory form of the action in the relevant jurisdictions and finds it driving with much purpose in jurisdictions such as Australia and Sri Lanka which are both in the transitional era from the common law action to the statutory action. The research is based on the collection of material namely, case law - Australian, Sri Lankan and international on the matters in issue, Legal treatises on the subject matter local and international, Law reform material - Australian, Sri Lankan and international on the topic, Bills and Statutes available on the topic in Australia, Sri Lanka and other countries. I have met resource personnel with regard to Law Reform in several jurisdictions on the matters in issue and visited the Australian Stock Exchange and the Colombo Stock Exchange. The research findings depend mainly on the electronic data available in addition to resources available at the University of Canberra, the Australian National University, Colombo Law Library, The Colombo Law Society Library and the Sri Lanka Supreme Court Judges' Chambers Library and the Sri Lanka Attorney General's Department Library. Visits to the McGill University in Montreal, Canada and the corporate law sector in New Zealand, including Universities and Law Offices in Christchurch and Auckland too has helped me considerably in the process. Review of the literature of the proposed statutory Derivative Action in Australia and the proposed statutory Derivative Action in Sri Lanka, are based mainly on; Enforcement of the duties of directors and officers of a company by means of a statutory derivative action (Report No. 12) Companies and Securities Law Review Committee. (November 1990.), Corporate Practices and the Rights of Shareholders (Report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs) Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. (November 1991.), Report on A Statutory Derivative Action Companies and Securities Advisory Committee. (July 1993.), Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (CLERP) Proposal Paper No 3 (1997), the CLERP draft legislative provisions (1998), Australian case law on the application of the common law Derivative Action, both in the High Court and in individual States and Australian articles on Derivative Action as a common law remedy and on the introduction of the statutory action. In the Sri Lankan context, the proposals in Sri Lanka for the statutory Derivative Action and the case law in Sri Lanka on the application of the common law remedy has been referred to. Other literature include, material available on the Canadian formula of Derivative Action, including Statutes, Rules, case law, articles and other relevant data, material available on the Derivative Actions in the United States, material available in New Zealand on Derivative Actions, material available in England on Derivative Actions, namely on the common law approach, case law, articles, Bills, Rules and other connected material, Statutes on Derivative Actions in other jurisdictions at present and Hong Kong proposals for a statutory Derivative Action, to name some. The aforesaid material and the review of the same have assisted the study as follows: -To place the past, present and the future of the common law Derivative Action. -Examine the objectives of the Derivative Action. -The operation of the common law aspects of the action. -The benefits of the statutory form of the action. -Experiences of other countries in the recent past on the subject. -The Australian reform process presently underway. -The best experiences in Australia with regard to case law. -To evaluate whether the remedy should be limited to fraud on the minority or whether it should be extended further even to negligence. -How best Sri Lanka could benefit from the Australian formula of the statutory form of the action. -To evaluate whether the proposed model of the statutory action in Sri Lanka is adequate in view of the Australian and other accepted formulae on the subject. -Whether the common law action should be expressly abolished in Sri Lanka. -Consider the possible introduction of the best methods to Sri Lanka. Finally, the research speaks for itself the need for a statutory Derivative Action for Sri Lanka in the future, to be an improvement on the Canadian, New Zealand and Australian models. The research findings, especially in its conclusions and recommendation in Chapter 8, will no doubt help to improve the proposed statutory Derivative Action in Sri Lanka in a small way.

<p>Large environmental, health, social and economical problems are connected with the use of</p><p>fossil fuels and, in a dominating part of the world, also the use of firewood. The goal for this</p><p>project was to develop and design an optimal solar oven system intended for food cooking</p><p>and water pasteurisation. Further the advantages and disadvantages, compared with other</p><p>energy resources were evaluated. Tests were carried out in Sweden as well as in Sri Lanka.</p><p>An extensive range of prototypes were tested and sifted out to a small number of designs that</p><p>were tested in Sri Lanka. A large number of evaluations and tests were carried out on many</p><p>different materials, among others tests were conducted according to the international standard</p><p>“Testing and Reporting Solar Cooker Performance ASAE S580 JAN03”.</p><p>The report shows a number of benefits compared to previous reports on the subject, for</p><p>example the development of indoor tests, the extensiveness and objectiveness of the tests, and</p><p>the fact that the report combines extensive practical test results with solid theoretical</p><p>background information.</p><p>The test resulted in two solar ovens with the same parabolic design but made out of different</p><p>materials. One oven is cheaper, simpler to produce and is considered for the target group poor</p><p>people in developing countries. This is made out of a corrugated cardboard that is covered</p><p>with aluminium foil. The second oven is more expensive but also more durable and is</p><p>intended for more wealthy people in the west that wants a good alternative to regular ways of</p><p>cooking food. It is made out of aluminium plate and mirrors.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>This paper applies an impressionistic and reflexive genre of ethnography to understand the ethnographer’s meeting with the humanitarian aid workers in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. It offers an analysis of the political atmosphere in the country prior to the tsunami as a central framework for understanding current tensions and debates over the distribution of tsunami aid resources, and traces the emergence of what has been termed Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism. Based on three months of ethnographic fieldwork from April to July 2005 among aid workers at the central level in Colombo and a careful attention to the rhetorics and arguments that characterized the writings in the Sri Lankan press during this period, the paper argues that while public debates over tsunami aid distribution has been entwined with political rivalries between the Sri Lankan government, and Sinhala and Tamil nationalist groups, the everyday reality of international humanitarians evolved around the forming of a common development language to categorise the demands of the aid intervention and on the performances of individual organisations, personified by a limited number of individuals in the professional fora of the humanitarians in Colombo.</p>

Abstract This paper applies an impressionistic and reflexive genre of ethnography to understand the ethnographer’s meeting with the humanitarian aid workers in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. It offers an analysis of the political atmosphere in the country prior to the tsunami as a central framework for understanding current tensions and debates over the distribution of tsunami aid resources, and traces the emergence of what has been termed Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism. Based on three months of ethnographic fieldwork from April to July 2005 among aid workers at the central level in Colombo and a careful attention to the rhetorics and arguments that characterized the writings in the Sri Lankan press during this period, the paper argues that while public debates over tsunami aid distribution has been entwined with political rivalries between the Sri Lankan government, and Sinhala and Tamil nationalist groups, the everyday reality of international humanitarians evolved around the forming of a common development language to categorise the demands of the aid intervention and on the performances of individual organisations, personified by a limited number of individuals in the professional fora of the humanitarians in Colombo.

Background: In Sri Lanka, motherhood within marriage is highly valued. Sex out of wedlock is socially unacceptable and can create serious public health problems such as illegal abortions, suicide and infanticide, and single motherhood as a result of premarital sex is considered shameful. The way unmarried women facing single motherhood reflect on and make use of their agency in their social environments characterised by limited social and financial support has consequences for the health and well-being of both themselves and their children. The aim of this study was to explore and describe how unmarried women facing single motherhood in Sri Lanka handle their situation. Methods: This qualitative study comprised semi-structured interviews with 28 unmarried pregnant women or single mothers. The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis and the results related to the conceptual framework of social navigation. Results: The women facing single motherhood expressed awareness of having trespassed norms of sexuality through self-blame, victimhood and obedience, and by considering or attempting suicide. They demonstrated willingness to take responsibility for becoming pregnant before marriage by giving the child up for adoption, bringing up the child themselves, claiming a father for their child, refraining from marriage in the future, permanently leave their home environment, and taking up employment. Throughout the interviews, the women expressed fear of shame, and striving for familial and societal acceptance and financial survival. Conclusions: A social environment highly condemning of unmarried motherhood hindered these women from making strategic choices on how to handle their situation. However, to achieve acceptance and survival, the women tactically navigated norms of femininity, strong family dependence, a limited work market, and different sources of support. Limited access to resources restricted the women's sexual and reproductive health and rights, including their ability to make acceptable and healthy choices for themselves and their children.

During the course of history, the world have come to see powerful nations rise and fall, religions spread and diminish – and all too often there have been violent struggles between religious groups and secular forces, a fact that we still see in our world today. In the West, we often hear about the violent and fundamental dimensions of Islam. Buddhism is rarely a part of the equation in a western context, regarding violence. A common perception is the picture of Buddhism as a guardian of non-violent principles and values. The central theme of this essay circuits around views on violence and warfare in the Sri Lankan context, where religion and violence have come to be intertwined, often with political overtones. With different theoretical frameworks and angles I have illustrated and analyzed how the historical development can be linked to classical buddhist sources and how some singalease buddhists make use of a mythical glorious past to justify violence and warfare against the tamil minority population. But like all religious traditions there are also counterforces and exceptions that diverge from the mainstream, which I have found importnant to illuminate. Religious phenomena can be a complex matter to investigate and trying to see the variations within a religious tradition can be difficult but one way to adress theese issues (when it comes to religion and violence in Sri Lanka) is to give diverse and multifaceted pictures of the conflict for when it comes to religion, there are never one-sided answers.