The Gentiles, A History of Sri Lanka 1498-1833

A fine addition to any history collection focusing on southeast Asia, December 8, 2009 By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) ******************************* Sri Lanka has a truly unique history. "The Gentiles: A History of Sri Lanka: 1498-1833" covers the history of the island from their first contact with Europeans in the fifteenth century and their unique relationship with the Portuguese, British, and Dutch through the years. With plenty of maps and photographs, "The Gentiles" is a fine addition to any history collection focusing on southeast Asia. ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (Austin, Texas) - November 16, 2009 A first piece of academic research, an excellent read, Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (11/09) ************* There is nothing I enjoy more than reading a book that is described by the publisher and critics as "controversial" or "provocative." "The Gentiles: A History of Sri Lanka 1498-1833," a carefully researched and well-written book by Agnes Padmini Thambynayagam is such a book. As you may have guessed by her name, Ms. Thambynayagam was born in Sri Lanka and spent her growing up years there. Sri Lanka, which was formerly called Ceylon, is a relatively small island with an area of approximately 25,000 square miles, located just south of India. These days its population of approximately twenty-million people consists of a rich melting pot mainly classified as Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers. This population came about due to the occupation and settlement by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, and other Europeans between 1505 and 1832. In fact, Ms. Thambynayagam asserts that, "the consequence of such an evolution over three hundred years has resulted in not only much variation in appearance and skin colour, but in the language, religion and culture of those now living in Sri Lanka." This assertion runs contrary of all norms of traditional teachings and beliefs on the subject which is why the book will be considered controversial by many. At this point an explanation about the word "Gentile" in the book's title may be in order; because I suspect I am not the only reader that associates that word only as a definition of a non-Jewish person. In the context of this book, the Gentiles were Christians who settled in India and Sri Lanka from countries surrounding the Mediterranean and Red Sea before the sixteenth century. From a sales and marketing point of view, it is unfortunate that the word is used prominently in the book's title. Searching for the book on Amazon using variations of the word Gentile, for example, could present the reader with well over six-hundred titles (I stopped counting at 600) to sort through depending on the books positioning. I point that out because I want the book to succeed; so when you search for the book, by all means use the full title or the author's last name. "The Gentiles: A History of Sri Lanka 1498-1833" by Agnes Padmini Thambynayagam is not only an excellent read, but a first-rate piece of academic research as well. It is meticulously documented with footnotes and bibliographies; and contains a treasure trove of maps, drawings and photographs -- many of the latter of friends and family of the author. Reading this book will take you on a fascinating journey through a charming and exotic country hitherto mostly unknown save for news coverage of a civil conflict that appears to now be resolved. *************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Mr. Andrey Bilko for RebeccaReads, Austin, Texas, USA) (24 April 2010) This is a very curious book about the history of Sri Lanka, which was ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British for over four hundred years. One of the main points of the book is to look at influences of western culture on the Sri Lankan people. Even though, it is obvious that influences of colonizers are vast, there are not many systematic studies that address this issue. The author looks at pertinent historical archives and aims to interpret them in order to answer questions about Sri Lanka and its people. Most of the time, the author uses lesser-known sources of history, which were not used in previous studies. And of course, with interpretations and more obscure sources comes controversy, since some speculations and assumptions have to be made, which may not be appealing to everyone. The subject is very personal to the author, since she was born and grew up in Sri Lanka. Most of the research for the book was done, while at the University of Oxford. The book is well-written, easy to follow, and full of beautiful color images, which include maps, drawings, and photographs. Covering about 350 years of history, starting with Vasco da Gama in 1498 and finishing with British in 1800’s, the author structures the book really well in focussing on the effects of the “gentiles” (who are Portuguese, Dutch, and British) on the development of social institutions, transformation of religious practices, evolution of language, and establishment of educational system. The text is an excellent piece of research (with extensive bibliography), which is not boring to read and can be appreciated by a wide audience of readers with some interest in learning more about colonization and its effects on an island Sri Lanka. Looking at current American foreign policies and U.S. government’s attempt to change and influence lives of people in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, it is critical to learn more about past experiences with imperialism and spread of western culture.” (24 April 2010) (Mr. Andrey Bilko for RebeccaReads, Austin, Texas, USA)