Pub Date : 2018-12-31DOI: 10.4038/SLJSS.V41I2.7696
S. Gamage
This paper examines the critical debates and discussions on the Eurocentric nature of sociology in its origin, diffusion, dominance and practice on the one hand and counter discourses that have emerged from disparate groups of sociologists from different parts of the world, on the other. In the process, this paper explores the unequal nature of global knowledge discourse and its impact on the sociology debates and practice in the global periphery with a focus on South Asia. The work of several sociologists who have contributed to the discourses on postcolonial theory and sociology, alternative, indigenous and pluralist sociology, are reviewed with a view to highlighting the predicament of conventional metropolitan sociology as it is practised in the colonised periphery. Ideas for a fresh sociological imagination consonant with indigenous intellectual traditions in South Asia are discussed along with the need to retool methodology. Usefulness of new approaches such as relational and connected sociologies and Southern Theory are discussed. Several approaches and strategies that sociologists in the region can utilise in formulating a knowledge field that is integral with the needs of the people and consonant with their own intellectual or knowledge traditions are also surveyed. The need to go beyond essentialist binaries constructed by imperial/colonial sociology is emphasised along with the need for forming epistemic communities in centres of learning with a view to examine emerging proposals from critical sociologists for a new sociology imagination rooted in the South Asian context.
{"title":"Indigenous and postcolonial sociology in South Asia: challenges and possibilities","authors":"S. Gamage","doi":"10.4038/SLJSS.V41I2.7696","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/SLJSS.V41I2.7696","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the critical debates and discussions on the Eurocentric nature of sociology in its origin, diffusion, dominance and practice on the one hand and counter discourses that have emerged from disparate groups of sociologists from different parts of the world, on the other. In the process, this paper explores the unequal nature of global knowledge discourse and its impact on the sociology debates and practice in the global periphery with a focus on South Asia. The work of several sociologists who have contributed to the discourses on postcolonial theory and sociology, alternative, indigenous and pluralist sociology, are reviewed with a view to highlighting the predicament of conventional metropolitan sociology as it is practised in the colonised periphery. Ideas for a fresh sociological imagination consonant with indigenous intellectual traditions in South Asia are discussed along with the need to retool methodology. Usefulness of new approaches such as relational and connected sociologies and Southern Theory are discussed. Several approaches and strategies that sociologists in the region can utilise in formulating a knowledge field that is integral with the needs of the people and consonant with their own intellectual or knowledge traditions are also surveyed. The need to go beyond essentialist binaries constructed by imperial/colonial sociology is emphasised along with the need for forming epistemic communities in centres of learning with a view to examine emerging proposals from critical sociologists for a new sociology imagination rooted in the South Asian context.","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41487217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-12-31DOI: 10.4038/SLJSS.V41I2.7698
M. Raihan, M. J. Uddin
Group-based microcredit an extension of small amounts of collateral-free institutional loans to poor with limited access to formal credit markets has become one of the most popular development strategies in Bangladesh. The underlying logic behind the group lending model is that the provision of small loans for poor women, in particular, could facilitate socio-economic development and livelihood improvement in the rural areas. Microcredit to women is considered as a tool for empowering women with increased self-esteem, decision making capability and new income-earning opportunities. However, the impact of microcredit on marginalized people remains debated. While the positive impact of microcredit on millions of poor people’s lives has been documented by various studies, there are also studies that challenge the arguments about women empowerment through microcredit involvement. Based on interviews with 175 of economically and socially vulnerable female microcredit borrowers, the present study contributes to the continuing debate over how or if microcredit intervention enhances women’s capabilities in achieving health care utilization, food and nutrition security, and personal freedom at the local level in Bangladesh. Indices were developed to quantify the capabilities of women. To measure different aspects of capabilities, variables were analyzed through univariate and bi-variate analyses. The results of the present study confirm that microcredit involvement improves women’s basic capabilities but it is not as significant as attested by earlier studies.
{"title":"Creating women’s capabilities through microcredit in Bangladesh","authors":"M. Raihan, M. J. Uddin","doi":"10.4038/SLJSS.V41I2.7698","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/SLJSS.V41I2.7698","url":null,"abstract":"Group-based microcredit an extension of small amounts of collateral-free institutional loans to poor with limited access to formal credit markets has become one of the most popular development strategies in Bangladesh. The underlying logic behind the group lending model is that the provision of small loans for poor women, in particular, could facilitate socio-economic development and livelihood improvement in the rural areas. Microcredit to women is considered as a tool for empowering women with increased self-esteem, decision making capability and new income-earning opportunities. However, the impact of microcredit on marginalized people remains debated. While the positive impact of microcredit on millions of poor people’s lives has been documented by various studies, there are also studies that challenge the arguments about women empowerment through microcredit involvement. Based on interviews with 175 of economically and socially vulnerable female microcredit borrowers, the present study contributes to the continuing debate over how or if microcredit intervention enhances women’s capabilities in achieving health care utilization, food and nutrition security, and personal freedom at the local level in Bangladesh. Indices were developed to quantify the capabilities of women. To measure different aspects of capabilities, variables were analyzed through univariate and bi-variate analyses. The results of the present study confirm that microcredit involvement improves women’s basic capabilities but it is not as significant as attested by earlier studies.","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49306705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-28DOI: 10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7592
D. Herath
This paper examines the causal relationship between social capital and development in micro settings at a time of violent conflict by taking a case study of six villages in the north of Sri Lanka. The rich and vast literature on social capital has documented the causal linkages between social capital and the various social and economic outcomes, which, among others include development, better functioning democracies, ethnic harmony, and so on. This particular paper is focusing on micro settings to seek whether social capital is a significant factor of development in such settings, especially, at a time when these settings have gone through violent conflict, where people have been set apart by cleavages of ethnicity and/or religion. This requires understanding and measuring both social capital and development in a manner sensitive and meaningful for micro settings. Relatively, few studies show how this can be achieved and hence the research gap. This study finds that bonding social capital is a strong factor in development in terms of supporting agriculture even at a time of conflict. Bonding social capital is important in converting natural resources into economic assets which improve the level of development. Bridging social capital has had historical significance not only in agriculture but also in many other aspects. An equally important objective of the paper is to illustrate how a mixed-method approach of using both qualitative and quantitative techniques can be used for social capital research. Most studies on social capital depend either on quantitative or qualitative methods and fail to capture the intricate dynamics between components of social capital and development outcomes. This particular study shows how social capital can be measured using the indicators that local people suggest, so that, the indexes developed actually measure what is important for the people.
{"title":"Social capital under conditions of ethnic conflict: how does social capital impact on development in micro settings?","authors":"D. Herath","doi":"10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7592","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7592","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the causal relationship between social capital and development in micro settings at a time of violent conflict by taking a case study of six villages in the north of Sri Lanka. The rich and vast literature on social capital has documented the causal linkages between social capital and the various social and economic outcomes, which, among others include development, better functioning democracies, ethnic harmony, and so on. This particular paper is focusing on micro settings to seek whether social capital is a significant factor of development in such settings, especially, at a time when these settings have gone through violent conflict, where people have been set apart by cleavages of ethnicity and/or religion. This requires understanding and measuring both social capital and development in a manner sensitive and meaningful for micro settings. Relatively, few studies show how this can be achieved and hence the research gap. This study finds that bonding social capital is a strong factor in development in terms of supporting agriculture even at a time of conflict. Bonding social capital is important in converting natural resources into economic assets which improve the level of development. Bridging social capital has had historical significance not only in agriculture but also in many other aspects. An equally important objective of the paper is to illustrate how a mixed-method approach of using both qualitative and quantitative techniques can be used for social capital research. Most studies on social capital depend either on quantitative or qualitative methods and fail to capture the intricate dynamics between components of social capital and development outcomes. This particular study shows how social capital can be measured using the indicators that local people suggest, so that, the indexes developed actually measure what is important for the people.","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48610090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-28DOI: 10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7590
Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe
This paper examines the key global debates on liberal peace and peacebuilding and their nexus with the Sri Lankan conflict, the efforts to resolve the conflict and the ensuing local discourses. The end of the cold war heralded the possibility of a liberal world order. This triumph of the liberal order underlined a normative assumption of “the end of history”, not as a static closure, but as embodying an ideology with the potential for delineating the optimal form of governance for a state, its economy and citizens1. Since the end of the cold-war, liberal peace has become the main policy framework that has been used by the International Community (IC) to engage with and intervene in conflict ridden states as a means for creating global peace by stabilising states and strengthening global markets2. However, the liberal peace thesis and the attendant liberal peacebuilding interventionist frameworks for local and global peace have spurned a critical discourse that questions the validity of the thesis and the effectiveness of its policy and practice outcomes. Sri Lanka mirrors the global debates and policy impact of the ideological framework of the global thesis, as it has a history of liberal governance (traceable to the 19th century) and liberal peacebuilding (traceable to the 20th century).
{"title":"Liberal peace and peacebuilding: global and local debates in the context of Sri Lanka","authors":"Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe","doi":"10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7590","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the key global debates on liberal peace and peacebuilding and their nexus with the Sri Lankan conflict, the efforts to resolve the conflict and the ensuing local discourses. The end of the cold war heralded the possibility of a liberal world order. This triumph of the liberal order underlined a normative assumption of “the end of history”, not as a static closure, but as embodying an ideology with the potential for delineating the optimal form of governance for a state, its economy and citizens1. Since the end of the cold-war, liberal peace has become the main policy framework that has been used by the International Community (IC) to engage with and intervene in conflict ridden states as a means for creating global peace by stabilising states and strengthening global markets2. However, the liberal peace thesis and the attendant liberal peacebuilding interventionist frameworks for local and global peace have spurned a critical discourse that questions the validity of the thesis and the effectiveness of its policy and practice outcomes. Sri Lanka mirrors the global debates and policy impact of the ideological framework of the global thesis, as it has a history of liberal governance (traceable to the 19th century) and liberal peacebuilding (traceable to the 20th century).","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41888539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-28DOI: 10.4038/sljss.v41i1.7604
K. Tennakone
The eclipses of the sun and moon are generally considered a part of astronomy irrelevant to other affairs of the society. The study reported here explores the contrary, showing that, eclipses of the sun have had a significant impact on society in terms of associated superstitions and counter arguments of rationality, regional conflicts, decision making by rulers, advancement of science and scientific politics. The history and social implications of eclipse prediction and eclipse expeditions are discussed highlighting situations relevant to Sri Lanka. Solar eclipse events, particularly important to Sri Lankan history, are examined in comparison with theoretically calculated dates of occurrence given in the NASA World Atlas of Eclipses. Results provide new insights into some historical events, especially significant in the context of Sri Lanka. Their chronology and possible interpretations are discussed. The information derived would be useful to historians for further analysis.
{"title":"Historical and social aspects of solar eclipse occurrences","authors":"K. Tennakone","doi":"10.4038/sljss.v41i1.7604","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v41i1.7604","url":null,"abstract":"The eclipses of the sun and moon are generally considered a part of astronomy irrelevant to other affairs of the society. The study reported here explores the contrary, showing that, eclipses of the sun have had a significant impact on society in terms of associated superstitions and counter arguments of rationality, regional conflicts, decision making by rulers, advancement of science and scientific politics. The history and social implications of eclipse prediction and eclipse expeditions are discussed highlighting situations relevant to Sri Lanka. Solar eclipse events, particularly important to Sri Lankan history, are examined in comparison with theoretically calculated dates of occurrence given in the NASA World Atlas of Eclipses. Results provide new insights into some historical events, especially significant in the context of Sri Lanka. Their chronology and possible interpretations are discussed. The information derived would be useful to historians for further analysis.","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45051082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-28DOI: 10.4038/sljss.v41i1.7593
C. D. De Silva
{"title":"Confrontations with Colonialism: Resistance, Revivalism and Reform under British Rule in Sri Lanka 1796-1920 (Vol. I) by P. V. J. Jayasekera","authors":"C. D. De Silva","doi":"10.4038/sljss.v41i1.7593","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v41i1.7593","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70191036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-28DOI: 10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7591
Z. Noorbakhsh, R. Pishghadam, Fahime Saboori
The purpose of the present study was to explore the roles of teacher gender identity and stroke in teacher success. All variables were viewed from the learners’ viewpoints. Three scales were used to measure stroke, teacher gender identity and teacher success. The participants consisted of 287 English learners in private language institutes. To analyse the data, first Pearson product-moment correlation was used, the results of which revealed significant relationships among all these variables. Next, Path Analysis was employed to examine the predictive power of teacher gender identity and stroke in teacher success. The findings indicated that femininity and masculinity predicted stroke and that stroke and androgyny were positive predictors of teacher success.
{"title":"Stroke and gender identity in teacher success: from learners’ viewpoints","authors":"Z. Noorbakhsh, R. Pishghadam, Fahime Saboori","doi":"10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/SLJSS.V41I1.7591","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of the present study was to explore the roles of teacher gender identity and stroke in teacher success. All variables were viewed from the learners’ viewpoints. Three scales were used to measure stroke, teacher gender identity and teacher success. The participants consisted of 287 English learners in private language institutes. To analyse the data, first Pearson product-moment correlation was used, the results of which revealed significant relationships among all these variables. Next, Path Analysis was employed to examine the predictive power of teacher gender identity and stroke in teacher success. The findings indicated that femininity and masculinity predicted stroke and that stroke and androgyny were positive predictors of teacher success.","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2018-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45408408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-12-28DOI: 10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7421
J. Wickramasinghe
{"title":"Structural re-adjustment programmes in developing countries: the case of the transport industry in Sri Lanka","authors":"J. Wickramasinghe","doi":"10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7421","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2011-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70190935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-12-28DOI: 10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7422
Pryanjali De Zoysa
{"title":"Psychological consequences of childhood sexual abuse: issues in the Sri Lankan context","authors":"Pryanjali De Zoysa","doi":"10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7422","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2011-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70190988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2011-12-04DOI: 10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7423
S. Peiris
{"title":"The causes of the recent surge in private capital flows to Asia and Latin America","authors":"S. Peiris","doi":"10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4038/sljss.v23i1-2.7423","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":53779,"journal":{"name":"Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2011-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70191006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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