Buddhism Politics and the Limits of Law: The Pyrrhic Constitutionalism of Sri Lanka

Name: Buddhism Politics and the Limits of Law: The Pyrrhic Constitutionalism of Sri Lanka
Brand: Cambridge University Press
SKU: 9781107152236
Price: 907.92 HKD
Availability: InStock
Author: Benjamin Schonthal
ISBN: 9781107152236

By Benjamin Schonthal

Cambridge University Press November 2016

Specifications

ISBN-13: 9781107152236
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: November 2016
Format: Hardback
Jurisdiction: U.K. ? Countri(es) for reference only

Details

It is widely assumed that a well-designed and well-implemented constitution can help ensure religious harmony in modern states. Yet how correct is this assumption? Drawing on ground-breaking research from Sri Lanka, the book argues persuasively for another possibility: when it comes to religion, relying on constitutional law may not be helpful, but harmful instead; constitutional practice may give way to pyrrhic constitutionalism.

Written in a lucid and direct style, aimed at specialists and non-specialists, Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law offers a detailed examination of why constitutional law has damaged, rather than promoted, inter-religious concord in Sri Lanka. Examining the roles of Buddhist monks, civil society groups, political coalitions and more, the book provides the first extended study of the legal regulation of religion in Sri Lanka as well as the first book-length analysis of the intersections of Buddhism and contemporary constitutional law.

1. Introducing the pyrrhic constitutionalism of Sri Lanka

Part I. The Past Lives of the Buddhism Chapter:

2. Managing religion at the end of empire

3. Contesting constitutions in the 1950s and 1960s

4. Generating a grammar of evasion

Part II. From Creation to Implementation:

5. Legal battles for Buddhism

6. Battles with Buddhism

7. Constitutional conversions

8. Conclusion: the costs of constitutional law.

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