Equality in Hierarchy

In this chapter, the author approaches secularism and secularization not as a sociological theory, but as modern words in the Sinhala language and their use in re-conceptualizing the relationship between religious institutions and the state. Before he deals with the problem of secularism in the political concepts of independent Sri Lanka, it is necessary to take a look at the religio-political ideal of Buddhist kingship as it was promoted by the historical Buddhist kings and in the literature of the Samgha. This imagination of an ideal 'state' serves as a 'utopian memory' against which the present structures and principles of statecraft are measured, especially by the powerful fundamentalist Buddhist forces of modern Sri Lanka. Keywords:Buddhist Kingship; political concepts; Religion; secular state; secularism; secularization; Sinhala language; Sri Lanka

Hierarchy · Political science · Politics · Secularism · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Sri lanka · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies