Ethnic nationalism versus Civic nationalism

By  Mass L. Usuf

When the Parliament met for the first time on 20 January 2015 after the Presidential elections the Prime Minister Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe said, inter alia, “Irrespective of being Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, we must try to find a solution as Sri Lankans”.   His sagely admonition came in the form of these words, “We should abhor racism.” Nationalism is an ideological concept through which a national identity is created to its citizens and a sense of belonging to one’s nation.

Ethnic Nationalism Versus Civic Nationalism by Thavam Ratna