Books​ Reviews

The classic work on the history of British colonialism in Sri Lanka, originally published by Mouton/De Gruyter in 1983, focuses on the impact of the British plantation economy and colonial political authority on the Kandyan Highlands in the 19th century. In 2020, this second edition was published with an extensive chapter on new colonialism in Sri Lanka, with a comparative perspective on contemporary great power struggles.

The book assesses the question of Sri Lankan sovereignty today, situating it within the context of the regional expansion of China, India and the United States. Parallels are drawn to British colonialism in the island nation to address the modern debate on development and underdevelopment through the case study of a key period of British empire-building between 1833 and 1886. Dr Bandarage contends that the impacts of 19th century colonialism are still felt today and are hence important to understand in moving towards a sovereign, peaceful and unified Sri Lanka.