Neoliberal shifts and strategies of religious adaptation in post-war Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

Neoliberal shifts have brought about a centring of market logics and a new focus on the individual as consumer. Some religious groups are better able to adapt to these shifts than others, which reveals the changing role of religion in people’s daily lives. This article explores how the adaptive strategies of religious groups in response to neoliberalisation can trigger a reimagination of the role and value of religion in/to society. I illustrate these ideas through a comparative exploration of the way Buddhist élites and evangelical Christians engage with theology, tradition, and the market in Sri Lanka. While Buddhist élites struggle to overcome a sense of disjuncture in the way Buddhist principles relate to the market, evangelicals have always been more integrationist in their approach. Comparing these approaches reveals the extent to which neoliberalisation shapes the (trans)boundary modernities of religious leaders seeking to make the most of opportunities for expansion in post-war Sri Lanka.

KEYWORDS:

• Neoliberalisation
• religious adaptation
• Buddhism
• evangelical Christianity
• Sri Lanka

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the anonymous reviewers of the Journal of Contemporary Religion for close and critical engagement with earlier drafts of this article.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (CRF grant no. C7052-18G) for the project “Infrastructures of Faith: Religious Mobilities on the Belt and Road”, coordinated by David A. Palmer at the University of Hong Kong.

Notes on contributors

Orlando Woods

Orlando Woods is Associate Professor of Geography at Singapore Management University. His research explores the religious, urban, and digital transformations occurring throughout South and Southeast Asia. He holds BA and PhD degrees in Geography from University College London and the National University of Singapore, respectively. CORRESPONDENCE: College of Integrative Studies, Singapore Management University, 10 Canning Rise, Singapore 179873.