Sinhalese nationalist identity is constructed as inseparable from Buddhism

Evidence

The link between the Sinhala race and Buddhism is so close and inseparable that it had led to the maxim, “There is no Buddhism without the Sinhalese and no Sinhalese without Buddhism.” This is an undeniable fact. … The literature of the Sinhalese is Buddhist literature. The history of the Sinhalese is the history of Buddhism. The language of the Sinhalese is enriched by the doctrine of the Buddha. The era of the Sinhalese is the Buddha era. The culture of the Sinhalese is Buddhist culture. The flag of the Sinhalese is the Sinhala Buddhist flag. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 193

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Directly relevant to ‘Complaints About Immodesty Go Way Back’ theme of identity/political signaling through a group marker, though here the marker is religion/ethnicity claimed as unitary culture rather than dress.
• XREF: Connects to reader’s research on whether group solidarity is primordial or manufactured: this cadence-like litany shows identity built by total fusion of every domain (literature, history, era, flag) into one category. — connects to: Buddha’s mythic visits legitimize Sinhalese supremacy by subjugating indigenous beings — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 71; Ancient heroic myths are retrofitted onto living Sinhalese leaders to justify dominance. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 79; Sinhalese Buddhist identity was antiquarian but its modern nationalist ideology is reinterpreted and manipulated — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 85 (+25 more)

Broader Connections

• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism rests on a foundational belief in Buddhist sufferance toward minorities #qualifies (0.85)
• Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology rests on mythic history yet betrays Buddhism’s core values #corroborates (0.85) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 294
• Sinhalese nationalist violence against Christians is opportunistic rather than primordial #responds-to (0.70) — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist Ideology, 245