Hurst · Forthcoming, December 2026
From Independence to Aragalaya
A Modern History of Sri Lanka
In February 1948, following centuries of colonial rule – by the Portuguese, Dutch and British successively – Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) gained its independence. Unlike neighbouring India, it did so peacefully; indeed, at the time, many considered it a model for emerging post-independence states, with every prospect of a prosperous and successful future. Yet, within ten years, the island nation was already experiencing its first serious open ethnic tensions, revolving around the relationship between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil populations.
