Political Structure in a Changing Sinhalese Village

An examination of the nature of political change within a village, which the author calls Morapitiya, in the Kandyan highlands of Sri Lanka, during the transition from colony to independent nation. During the first years of Sri Lanka's independence, the United National Party perpetuated the 'indirect rule' policy of the British colonial government. In 1956, with the election of a coalition government led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, this form of rule was rejected. The new government was committed to reviving the traditional Sinhalese culture, language and Buddhist ideals, and to improving the living conditions of the poor. Soon after assuming power, the S.L.F.P. government began to implement political and economic policies designed to alter village structure in accordance with the new ideals.