Sinhalese Buddhist identity is constructed through mythic history rather than primordial descent.

Evidence

This study argues that political Buddhism and Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism have contributed to a nationalist ideology that has been used to expand and perpetuate Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy within a unitary Sri Lankan state; create laws, rules, and structures that institutionalize such supremacy; and attack those who disagree with this agenda as enemies of the state. The nationalist ideology is influenced by Sinhalese Buddhist mytho-history that was deployed by monks and politicians in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries to assert that Sri Lanka is the designated sanctuary for Theravada Buddhism, belongs to Sinhalese Buddhists, and Tamils and others live there only due to Sinhalese Buddhist sufferance. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 718 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The Duthagamani myth thus not only provides a context, no matter how dubious, for thinking that the Sinhalese and Tamils have been nemeses for two millennia, but also justifies dehumanizing non-Sinhalese, if doing so is necessary to preserve, protect, and propagate the dhamma (Buddhist doctrine). Furthermore, it legitimizes a just war doctrine, provided that war is waged to protect Buddhism. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 78 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

This ideology is partly justified using mytho-history, thanks to texts such as the Mahavamsa. In addition, however, the ideology compromises the moral, ethical, and peaceful values of Buddhism and undermines democratic governance. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 294 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy is a constructed ideology built on deployed mytho-history, not primordial reality. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 718; Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology rests on mythic history yet betrays Buddhism’s core values — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 294; Sinhalese Buddhist identity was imagined long before modern nationalists weaponized it — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 85 (+7 more)

Related

• Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy is a constructed ideology built on deployed mytho-history, not primordial reality. (similarity 0.95)
• Sinhalese nationalist claims rest on chronicle authority and a myth of paternalistic tolerance. (similarity 0.93)
• Sinhalese nationalist identity rests on a manufactured sacred history. (similarity 0.93)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology rests on mythic history yet betrays Buddhism’s core values (similarity 0.93)
• Sinhalese Buddhist identity was imagined long before modern nationalists weaponized it (similarity 0.92)
• Sri Lankan ethnic claims rest on manufactured mytho-history, not primordial identity. (similarity 0.92)
• Sinhalese-Tamil enmity is legitimized by myth rather than primordial fact (similarity 0.91)
• Sinhalese Buddhist identity was antiquarian but its modern nationalist ideology is reinterpreted and manipulated (similarity 0.91)
• Buddha’s mythic visits legitimize Sinhalese supremacy by subjugating indigenous beings (similarity 0.91)
• Sinhalese claims to primordial ownership rest on the Mahavamsa’s mytho-history. (similarity 0.91)
• Sinhalese nationalist identity is constructed as inseparable from Buddhism (similarity 0.89)
• Sinhalese Buddhist mytho-history is marshalled to justify ethnic violence, not peace. (similarity 0.89)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology commands broad popular support in Sri Lanka (similarity 0.88)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism rests on a foundational belief in Buddhist sufferance toward minorities (similarity 0.88)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is reactive, not primordial (similarity 0.87)

Broader Connections

• Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy is a constructed ideology built on deployed mytho-history, not primordial reality. #corroborates (1.00) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 718
• Sinhalese-Tamil enmity is legitimized by myth rather than primordial fact #corroborates (0.85) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 78
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology rests on mythic history yet betrays Buddhism’s core values #expands (0.82) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 294
• Sinhalese Buddhist identity was antiquarian but its modern nationalist ideology is reinterpreted and manipulated #qualifies (0.80) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 85
• Sinhalese Buddhist identity was imagined long before modern nationalists weaponized it #qualifies (0.78) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 85
• Sinhalese nationalist identity is constructed as inseparable from Buddhism #expands (0.75) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 193
• National identity is built on manufactured ancestral myth, not primordial history. #expands (0.75) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 74
• Sinhalese Buddhist mytho-history is marshalled to justify ethnic violence, not peace. #expands (0.72) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 46