La Toya Waha | Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (original) (raw)
Uploads
Book by La Toya Waha
United by Violence, Divided by Cause? , 2020
Political violence is everywhere. But how does it emerge and what can be done about it? This book... more Political violence is everywhere. But how does it emerge and what can be done about it? This book addresses the diversity of violence in South Asia, South East Asia and Western Europe. It examines the various forms of ideological backgrounds, structural conditions, relations and aims of non-state actors who are involved in violence in these regions and certain countries. Thereby, this book presents a similar diversity of theoretical and disciplinary approaches towards explaining the same phenomenon: violence. The rationale behind this collection of approaches and case studies is to identify communalities on the one hand, and to counter simple, unidimensional explanations of why non-state actors resort to violence on the other. Finally, it provides policy recommendations on how to counter violence. With contributions by Greg Barton, D. Suba Chandran, Aurel Croissant, Rohan Gunaratna, Kevin McDonald, Subrata K. Mitra, Khuram Iqbal, Serina Rahman, La Toya Waha and Christian Echle
Religion and State-Formation in Transitional Societies - Sri Lanka in a Comparative Perspective, 2018
Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this wor... more Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this work addresses one of the most fundamental questions of our time: How do religion, violence and the modern state relate to each other? The puzzle which the book seeks to solve relates to the rationality behind committing self-immolation in order to instigate political change. How can one’s own death be a political tool, especially if we consider Hobbes, who believed that safeguarding lives was the very reason to form a state? Can a religious player be rational, especially since Weber claimed that basing behaviour on values is always — to varying degrees — irrational? What impact does religion have on decision-making? How can differences in behaviour be explained? This book examines the link between religion, state formation and rationality theoretically and provides deep empirical insights into the politics of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from its independence until today.
Newspaper Interview by La Toya Waha
"Das könnte die Spaltung vorantreiben", 2019
The interview offers a background to religious violence in Sri Lanka in the context of the recent... more The interview offers a background to religious violence in Sri Lanka in the context of the recent suicide attacks on Christian churches and hotels. It points out the international as well as the national dimensions of the attacks as well as their impact on the political developments in the Island state.
The interview was published in a German newspaper, RNZ, 24.04.2019
Papers by La Toya Waha
In the midst of the European Union, whose fundaments are based on human rights, a phenomenon has ... more In the midst of the European Union, whose fundaments are based on human rights, a phenomenon has taken hold, which was thought to be part of past long overcome. Frequently people are sold like a commodity and forced to live like slaves. They are exploited in diverse ways: among others in prostitution, forced marriages, in forced labour in restaurants, in construction and meat industries. They are forced into begging and crime; children are sold into adoption.
While some call it modern day slavery, experts call it trafficking in human beings. There are reasons to assume a relation between trafficking in human beings and migration in the European Union.
This paper points out the essential role transnational smuggling networks play in linking trafficking in human beings to migration and in expanding the phenomenon of trafficked migrants: The professionalisation of smuggling networks active along the central migration routes to and within Europe furthers trafficking in human beings. Beyond that, the paper suggests means to curb the further expansion of such networks.
International Journal of Religion
At the first glance, the Maldives appear not to be prone to religious conflict. The archipelago s... more At the first glance, the Maldives appear not to be prone to religious conflict. The archipelago state comprises a religiously and ethnically homogenous society, the different islands have been subject to shared Islamic rule for centuries and even constitutionally religious homogeneity is granted by making every citizen a Muslim and religious diversity prevented by limiting naturalisation to a specific Muslim group. Yet, today allegations of a threat to Islam play a major role in political mobilisation, the Maldives are faced with Islamist violence, and Maldivians have joined the Islamic State and al Qaeda in disproportionally high numbers. The paper seeks to find an answer to the question of how the repression of dissent under the Gayoom regime and the expansion and rise of violent Islamism relate in the Maldivian context. Next to the theoretical model, the paper will provide an introduction to the Maldivian political culture and the reasons for changes therein. It will shed light o...
Religion and State-Formation in Transitional Societies
Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this wor... more Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this work addresses one of the most fundamental questions of our time: How do religion, violence and the modern state relate to each other? The puzzle which the book seeks to solve relates to the rationality behind committing self-immolation in order to instigate political change. How can one’s own death be a political tool, especially if we consider Hobbes, who believed that safeguarding lives was the very reason to form a state? Can a religious player be rational, especially since Weber claimed that basing behaviour on values is always — to varying degrees — irrational? What impact does religion have on decision-making? How can differences in behaviour be explained? This book examines the link between religion, state formation and rationality theoretically and provides deep empirical insights into the politics of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from its independence until today.
Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 2020
International Reports, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2020
A recent series of violent acts raises the question of a relation between the rise of religious n... more A recent series of violent acts raises the question of a relation between the rise of religious nationalism and communal violence in South Asia. Here, I will shed some light on the roots and development of religious nationalism in South Asia and its impact on social cohesion.
ISAS Insights, 2019
As the new president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policies will have a great impact on the ... more As the new president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policies will have a great impact on the development of the country. His figure, for many reasons, is a controversial one. Looking at his past and at his promises during the election campaign, the paper seeks to investigate the impact Gotabaya’s presidency might have on the social cohesion in Sri Lanka.
Routledge Handbook for Politics in Asia, 2018
The chapter on "Political Culture and Social Change in South Asia" by Subrata K. Mitra and La Toy... more The chapter on "Political Culture and Social Change in South Asia" by Subrata K. Mitra and La Toya Waha published in the "Routledge Handbook for Politics in Asia" analyses the complex political process of transition in the states of South Asia, and gives an overview over the political cultures in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
United by Violence, Divided by Cause? , 2020
Political violence is everywhere. But how does it emerge and what can be done about it? This book... more Political violence is everywhere. But how does it emerge and what can be done about it? This book addresses the diversity of violence in South Asia, South East Asia and Western Europe. It examines the various forms of ideological backgrounds, structural conditions, relations and aims of non-state actors who are involved in violence in these regions and certain countries. Thereby, this book presents a similar diversity of theoretical and disciplinary approaches towards explaining the same phenomenon: violence. The rationale behind this collection of approaches and case studies is to identify communalities on the one hand, and to counter simple, unidimensional explanations of why non-state actors resort to violence on the other. Finally, it provides policy recommendations on how to counter violence. With contributions by Greg Barton, D. Suba Chandran, Aurel Croissant, Rohan Gunaratna, Kevin McDonald, Subrata K. Mitra, Khuram Iqbal, Serina Rahman, La Toya Waha and Christian Echle
Religion and State-Formation in Transitional Societies - Sri Lanka in a Comparative Perspective, 2018
Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this wor... more Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this work addresses one of the most fundamental questions of our time: How do religion, violence and the modern state relate to each other? The puzzle which the book seeks to solve relates to the rationality behind committing self-immolation in order to instigate political change. How can one’s own death be a political tool, especially if we consider Hobbes, who believed that safeguarding lives was the very reason to form a state? Can a religious player be rational, especially since Weber claimed that basing behaviour on values is always — to varying degrees — irrational? What impact does religion have on decision-making? How can differences in behaviour be explained? This book examines the link between religion, state formation and rationality theoretically and provides deep empirical insights into the politics of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from its independence until today.
"Das könnte die Spaltung vorantreiben", 2019
The interview offers a background to religious violence in Sri Lanka in the context of the recent... more The interview offers a background to religious violence in Sri Lanka in the context of the recent suicide attacks on Christian churches and hotels. It points out the international as well as the national dimensions of the attacks as well as their impact on the political developments in the Island state.
The interview was published in a German newspaper, RNZ, 24.04.2019
In the midst of the European Union, whose fundaments are based on human rights, a phenomenon has ... more In the midst of the European Union, whose fundaments are based on human rights, a phenomenon has taken hold, which was thought to be part of past long overcome. Frequently people are sold like a commodity and forced to live like slaves. They are exploited in diverse ways: among others in prostitution, forced marriages, in forced labour in restaurants, in construction and meat industries. They are forced into begging and crime; children are sold into adoption.
While some call it modern day slavery, experts call it trafficking in human beings. There are reasons to assume a relation between trafficking in human beings and migration in the European Union.
This paper points out the essential role transnational smuggling networks play in linking trafficking in human beings to migration and in expanding the phenomenon of trafficked migrants: The professionalisation of smuggling networks active along the central migration routes to and within Europe furthers trafficking in human beings. Beyond that, the paper suggests means to curb the further expansion of such networks.
International Journal of Religion
At the first glance, the Maldives appear not to be prone to religious conflict. The archipelago s... more At the first glance, the Maldives appear not to be prone to religious conflict. The archipelago state comprises a religiously and ethnically homogenous society, the different islands have been subject to shared Islamic rule for centuries and even constitutionally religious homogeneity is granted by making every citizen a Muslim and religious diversity prevented by limiting naturalisation to a specific Muslim group. Yet, today allegations of a threat to Islam play a major role in political mobilisation, the Maldives are faced with Islamist violence, and Maldivians have joined the Islamic State and al Qaeda in disproportionally high numbers. The paper seeks to find an answer to the question of how the repression of dissent under the Gayoom regime and the expansion and rise of violent Islamism relate in the Maldivian context. Next to the theoretical model, the paper will provide an introduction to the Maldivian political culture and the reasons for changes therein. It will shed light o...
Religion and State-Formation in Transitional Societies
Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this wor... more Taking into account the importance religion has regained in politics all over the world, this work addresses one of the most fundamental questions of our time: How do religion, violence and the modern state relate to each other? The puzzle which the book seeks to solve relates to the rationality behind committing self-immolation in order to instigate political change. How can one’s own death be a political tool, especially if we consider Hobbes, who believed that safeguarding lives was the very reason to form a state? Can a religious player be rational, especially since Weber claimed that basing behaviour on values is always — to varying degrees — irrational? What impact does religion have on decision-making? How can differences in behaviour be explained? This book examines the link between religion, state formation and rationality theoretically and provides deep empirical insights into the politics of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from its independence until today.
Italian Institute for International Political Studies, 2020
International Reports, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2020
A recent series of violent acts raises the question of a relation between the rise of religious n... more A recent series of violent acts raises the question of a relation between the rise of religious nationalism and communal violence in South Asia. Here, I will shed some light on the roots and development of religious nationalism in South Asia and its impact on social cohesion.
ISAS Insights, 2019
As the new president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policies will have a great impact on the ... more As the new president of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s policies will have a great impact on the development of the country. His figure, for many reasons, is a controversial one. Looking at his past and at his promises during the election campaign, the paper seeks to investigate the impact Gotabaya’s presidency might have on the social cohesion in Sri Lanka.
Routledge Handbook for Politics in Asia, 2018
The chapter on "Political Culture and Social Change in South Asia" by Subrata K. Mitra and La Toy... more The chapter on "Political Culture and Social Change in South Asia" by Subrata K. Mitra and La Toya Waha published in the "Routledge Handbook for Politics in Asia" analyses the complex political process of transition in the states of South Asia, and gives an overview over the political cultures in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.