Sri Lanka has had a continuous record of human settlement for more than two millennia, and its civilization has been shaped largely by that of the Indian subcontinent. The island's two major ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and the Tamils, and its two dominant religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, made their way to India, and Indian influence pervaded such diverse fields as art and architecture, literature, music, medicine, and astronomy.Despite its obvious affinities with India, Sri Lanka nevertheless developed a unique identity over the ages that ultimately set it apart from its neighborThis now-classic work provides challenging new ways of thinking about nationalism, colonialism, and modernity. Situated at the conceptual intersection of history and identity, the essays in the volume denaturalized the claims of the nation, taking it apart analytically, pointing to hidden relations of power and inequality that undergird it.Buy this book now.