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Philanthronationalism: junctures at the business-charity nexus in post-war Sri Lanka

Widger, Tom

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Abstract

Over the past few years, the role of private sector organizations as actors and investors in development processes has received increased attention. This article explores the rise of ‘philanthronationalism’ in Sri Lanka: the co-development of business and philanthropy methods as a response to patronage, nationalization and militarization in the post-war environment. Drawing on ethnographic research into indigenous forms of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the article identifies four kinds of philanthronationalist practice — passive, assimilative, reactive and collaborative — that provide a logic, mechanism and ethic for private sector development initiatives in the island whilst promoting a vision of the ‘Sinhala Buddhist’ nation state. Noting the emergence of similar philanthronationalist practices in Myanmar, the article concludes by arguing that the Sri Lankan case is unlikely to be unique and calls for further research into the partnerships that emerge between private philanthropy and nationalist movements in conflict/post-conflict processes around the world.

Citation

Widger, T. (2016). Philanthronationalism: junctures at the business-charity nexus in post-war Sri Lanka. Development and Change, 47(1), 27-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12185

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 15, 2015
Online Publication Date Aug 19, 2015
Publication Date Jan 1, 2016
Deposit Date Oct 17, 2014
Publicly Available Date Aug 19, 2017
Journal Development and Change
Print ISSN 0012-155X
Electronic ISSN 1467-7660
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 47
Issue 1
Pages 27-50
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12185

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Widger, T. (2015), Philanthronationalism: Junctures at the Business–Charity Nexus in Post-war Sri Lanka. Development and Change, 47(1): 27-50, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dech.12185. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





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