| ID | 151239 |
| Title Proper | Power, everyday control, and emerging resistance in Sri Lanka's plantations |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Neubert, Christopher |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | As the continued health of the plantation sector in Sri Lanka remains a vital part of the Sri Lankan economy, so too must the continued well-being of the people working and living in the estates remain an important concern. The tea industry must confront several challenges in the near future, some which have remained unaddressed for several decades and others that are only now becoming apparent. This paper analyses the current challenges and opportunities facing the people involved in the plantation economy in Sri Lanka – most specifically, the Up-country Tamils, who comprise most of the labour force. Arguably, the plantation system is an unethical economic scheme engendering a parallel political structure to reinforce the plantation economy. Despite some changes to the system during the nearly 200-year existence of plantation economics in Sri Lanka, transformative structural reform remains elusive, with the plantation sector dependent on a resident labour force that exercises limited power over both the economy in which they participate and the spaces they inhabit. This article thus focuses on the efforts of Up-country Tamils to challenge patterns of power and control in the plantation region and forge a new society within an increasingly authoritarian post-war state. |
| `In' analytical Note | Contemporary South Asia Vol. 24, No.4; Dec 2016: p.360-373 |
| Journal Source | Contemporary South Asia Vol: 24 No 4 |
| Key Words | Labour ; Resistance ; Bio-Politics ; Plantations ; Tea Production |