Caught between extremes

The culture and economics of traditional mask art in contemporary Sri Lanka

Bibliographic Data

ID5827226
AuthorsWasana Sampath Handapangoda (University of Sri Jayewardenepura, corresponding author), J I Madukala (University of Sri Jayewardenepura), M P K Withanawasam (0000-0002-3829-3748, University of Sri Jayewardenepura), A A D T Saparamadu (University of Sri Jayewardenepura)
Year2016
Volume33
Issue2
Pages181-207
Publication date2016-02-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0887-3631 • E-ISSN: 1940-6320
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08873631.2015.1133174
OpenAlexW2343461347
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited31

In contemporary Sri Lanka, the commodification of local mask production resulting from cultural tourism has caught the traditional mask artisan in a tight spot between "tradition" and "modernity". The impacts of tourism are diversely received and interpreted within the local mask artisan community, with tourism simultaneously resulting in what can be called a "cultural discovery" and "cultural decline". Within this cultural debate, this paper is an attempt to understand how the traditional mask artisan arrives at a balance between "tradition" and "modernity", and culture and commerce. Qualitative research conducted in southern Sri Lanka shows that tradition and modernity are shifting conceptions. Negotiating a balance between tradition and modernity is, therefore, largely a matter of meaning and interpretation. When cultural commodification occurs, tradition and modernity are continuously redefined and reinvented by both the traditional mask artisan and cultural consumer to fit their own needs and agendas. Cultural commodification contributes to the survival and revival of Sri Lanka's mask tradition, a strategy that is simultaneously welcomed and contested within the local mask artisan community

Commodification · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Cinema and Media Studies · South Asian Cinema and Culture