What is the role of cultural authenticity in the making of nations? Much scholarly and popular commentary on nationalism dismisses authenticity as a romantic fantasy or, worse, a deliberately constructed mythology used for political manipulation. The Politics and Poetics of Authenticity places authenticity at the heart of Sinhala nationalism in late nineteenth and twentieth-century Sri Lanka. It argues that the passion for the ?real? or the ?authentic? has played a significant role in shaping nationalist thinking and argues for an empathetic yet critical engagement with the idea of authenticity.
- ISBN13 9781787351318
- Publish Date 2 July 2018
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint UCL Press
- Format eBook (EPUB)
- Language English