Crisis as Catalyst: Discussion of the Revolution in Sri Lanka

We are gearing up for Part 2 of our discussion on the recent turmoil in Sri Lanka with Kanya D’Almeida and Quincy Saul. It is the next installment of our series on racial and environmental justice, facilitated by Kali Akuno. If you missed part 1, which focused on the historical background of the Sri Lankan crisis, it is now up on our YouTube channel. It was a fascinating initial discussion, and we’re excited to dig deeper.

Part 2 will take place next week, at 11:30am Eastern on Thursday, December 21. This session (“Ecosocialist Sri Lanka”) will focus on the future and what we can learn about the project of revolutionary, ecological change from the events in Sri Lanka. Register here if you haven’t yet to attend.

Our guests have also compiled some additional reading/viewing materials to prepare you with some other background context. We recommend taking a look at these prior to Thursday:

“The Awakening of Economics: Sri Lanka’s Sarvodaya Movement” by Quincy Saul

“The Threat to Life as We Know It: The View from Sri Lanka,” an interview with Ranil Senanayake by Quincy Saul

“The Living Legacy of Father Michael Rodrigo” by Kanya D’Almeida

“A Farmers’ Struggle in Sri Lanka, Siding with the Elephants,” by Meena Srinivasan

“Sri Lanka 2023: Anniversaries of Struggle,” by Quincy Saul

They have also compiled the following video/podcast materials:

2021: “Are Traditional Midwives History?“: an episode of the podcast “The Darkest Light” with Kanya D’Almeida

1984: Ronald Reagan hosts JR Jayawardena at the White House; 2 speeches, 14 minutes

2022: Ranil Wickremesinghe at Advocata, after assuming office; 20 minutes (If viewed closely, these two videos can be a master class; useful for framing our conversation about ecosocialism in Sri Lanka in the context of the neoliberal economic model which emerged in the 1980s and is now in power again:)

2022. “Toxic Rice: Sri Lanka’s Catastrophic Health Crisis,” Kamal Gammampila, interviewed by Quincy Saul