Infrastructure’s (Supra)Sacralizing Effects: Contesting Littoral Spaces of Fishing, Faith, and Futurity along Sri Lanka’s Western Coastline

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which infrastructural development can cause the sacred to become a source of political legitimacy and sacred authority to become a politically charged construct. For resource-dependent communities, the ecological damage caused by infrastructural development can cause ostensibly profane issues to be imbued with sacred meaning and value. With sacralization comes the expectation that figures of sacred authority will campaign for justice on behalf of the communities that they represent. When the authority evoked comes from outside the boundaries of institutionalized religion, however, processes of suprasacralization come into play. By exploring infrastructure’s (supra)sacralizing effects, I demonstrate how environmental ontologies can provide a competing basis for transcendence. In turn, this can reveal the politically progressive role of the sacred in eroding the legitimacy of institutionalized religion. I illustrate these ideas through an empirical analysis of the effects of the China-backed Port City Colombo project on Catholic fishing communities located along Sri Lanka’s western coastline. Drawing on ethnographic data, I explore how littoral spaces of fishing, faith, and futurity have become contested through the claiming of (supra)sacred places of power and justice.

本文探讨了基础设施开发如何使神圣成为政治合法性的来源、如何使神圣权威成为政治性观念。对于依赖资源的社区，基础设施开发造成的生态破坏，可能会导致表象世俗问题被赋予神圣的意义和价值。随着神圣化的到来，人们期望代表社区的神圣权威人物能为正义而战。然而，当权威来自制度化宗教之外时，超神圣化过程就开始发挥作用。通过探索基础设施的（超）神圣化效应，我展示了环境本体论如何给超越提供了竞争基础。它进一步揭示了神圣在损害制度化宗教合法性上的政治进步作用。通过实证分析中国支持的港口城市科伦坡项目对斯里兰卡西海岸线天主教渔业社区的影响，我阐述了上述观点。根据人种学数据，我探索了对权力和正义之（超）圣地的索取，如何掠夺了捕鱼、信仰和未来的沿海空间。

Este artículo explora los modos como el desarrollo infraestructural puede determinar que lo sagrado se transforme en una fuente de legitimidad política, y que la autoridad sagrada se convierta en un constructo políticamente cargado. Para las comunidades que dependen de los recursos, el daño ecológico causado por el desarrollo infraestructural puede hacer que asuntos ostensiblemente profanos se impregnen de significado y valores profanos. Con la sacralización viene la expectativa de que figuras de autoridad sagrada hagan campaña por la justicia en nombre de las comunidades que representan. No obstante, cuando la autoridad evocada procede de fuera de los límites de la religión institucionalizada, los procesos de suprasacralización entran en juego. Con la exploración de los efectos (supra)sacralizadores de la infraestructura, demuestro cómo las ontologías ambientales pueden proveer una base competitiva para la trascendencia. A la vez, esto puede revelar el papel políticamente progresista de lo sagrado en la erosión de la legitimidad de la religión institucionalizada. Ilustro estas ideas por medio de un análisis empírico de los efectos del proyecto Port City Colombo respaldado por China en las comunidades pesqueras católicas localizadas a lo largo de la costa occidental de Sri Lanka. A partir de datos etnográficos, exploro el modo como los espacios litorales de la pesca, la fe y lo futuro se han vuelto disputables a través de una reivindicación de los lugares (supra)sagrados de poder y justicia.

Key Words:

• BRI
• environmental ontologies
• infrastructure
• Sri Lanka
• (supra)sacralization

关键词:

• BRI
• 环境本体论
• 基础设施
• 斯里兰卡
• （超）神圣化。

Palabras clave:

• BRI
• infraestructura
• ontologías ambientales
• Sri Lanka
• (supra)sacralización.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the three anonymous reviewers for extremely constructive feedback on an earlier draft of this article and to Katie Meehan for superb editorial guidance and support. Thanks also to Bernardo Brown for expanding my sampling networks among Sri Lanka’s Catholic community.

Notes

Notes

1 These individuals self-identified as “environmental” activists.

2 Although a public record of this donation does not exist, it was an allegation shared by all environmental activists interviewed.

Additional information

Funding

Research for this article benefited from the support of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, which is gratefully acknowledged (CRF Grant No. C7052-18G, “Infrastructures of Faith: Religious Mobilities on the Belt and Road” coordinated by David A. Palmer, HKIHSS, University of Hong Kong).

Notes on contributors

Orlando Woods

ORLANDO WOODS is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Lee Kong Chian Fellow in the School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University, Singapore. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests span religion, urban environments, and digital technologies in South and Southeast Asia.