Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalism

Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is a political ideology which combines a focus upon Sinhalese culture and ethnicity with an emphasis upon Theravada Buddhism, which is the majority belief system of most Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka. It mostly originated in reaction to the colonization of Sri Lanka by the British Empire, and became increasingly assertive in the years following the independence of the country. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism has also been a driving force of interest in the Sri Lankan Civil War against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.