Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology frames dissenters as enemies of the state.

Evidence

The study disaggregates the nationalist ideology by evaluating five controversial issues in contemporary Sri Lankan society: (1) the claim that Sri Lanka is a country exclusively for Sinhalese Buddhists; (2) sentiment opposed to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); (3) the separatist struggle waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); (4) the anti-Christian milieu; and (5) population growth and minority emigration. Each contentious issue represents a strand servicing the extant nationalist ideology. Adherents to this ideology insist on expanding and perpetuating Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy within a unitary state; creating laws, rules, and structures that institutionalize such supremacy; and attacking as enemies of the state those who disagree with this agenda. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 36

Categorization

• XREF: Connects directly to the reader’s research question about manufactured enemies sustaining group solidarity; the ‘attacking as enemies’ mechanism parallels how constructed threats consolidate in-group loyalty. — connects to: Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism rests on a foundational belief in Buddhist sufferance toward minorities; Entrenched Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism forecloses federal solutions and portends broader attacks on minorities — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 42; Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 157 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Nationalist ideology turns dissent into treason and undermines civil society #corroborates (0.90) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 56
• Extremist Sinhalese parties weaponized Buddhism against Tamil devolution #exemplifies (0.82) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 157
• Entrenched Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism forecloses federal solutions and portends broader attacks on minorities #corroborates (0.80) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 42
• Sinhalese nationalist identity is constructed as inseparable from Buddhism #expands (0.78) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 193
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism rests on a foundational belief in Buddhist sufferance toward minorities #expands (0.75)
• Rebel attacks on Buddhist sacred sites hardened Sinhalese enmity #complicates (0.75)