Symbolic Gestures: The Development Terrain of Post-Tsunami Villages in (Southern) Sri Lanka

Pia Hollenbach (1) , Kanchana N Ruwanpura (2)

1 Allergy Unit - Department of Dermatology
2 School of Geography

This paper analyses how rituals and ceremonies were deployed in the post-tsunami rehabilitation process in Sri Lanka to 'incorporate' development projects into the habitus and social reality of local communities. It argues that even though the aid delivery process is represented as a gift, in reality it is more concerned with strengthening the social capital of the local and foreign donors. Through this process there is an expectation and an implicit demand for obligation from the beneficiaries, which leaves them with a social debt where they end-up participating in the game of development rituals to express their (ambivalent) gratitude. Through two case studies, we explore how the good intentions of donors to provide aid and alleviate suffering and the acceptance of this aid by the local communities, results in an asymmetric relationship where both become accomplices of Bourdieun notions of subtle and gentle violence.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Pia Hollenbach, Kanchana N Ruwanpura. Symbolic Gestures: The Development Terrain of Post-Tsunami Villages in (Southern) Sri Lanka. The Journal of Development Studies, 2011, pp.1. ⟨10.1080/00220388.2010.527950⟩. ⟨hal-00722235⟩