University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Master's Theses 2008 Shanthi Sena: Unarmed Peacekeeping Dennis August Almeida University of Rhode Island Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses Recommended Citation Almeida, Dennis August, "Shanthi Sena: Unarmed Peacekeeping" (2008). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 1103. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/1103 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. SHANTHI SENA: UNARMED PEACEKEEPING BY DENNIS AUGUST ALMEIDA A MASTER THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF THE ARTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2008 MASTER OF THE ARTS THESIS OF DENNIS AUGUST ALMEIDA APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor___ {L~ , -~=--'" =--___,~-~-"'--' _· _ -1/L.-'--=-...____ _ UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2008 ABSTRACT Where questions of violence and nonviolence cannot be raised inside a polity, it becomes obligatory that social scientists undertake them from the outside (Paige 2002:92). And if we are to "transform our society from a psychology of killing and threats to kill to one that is life-enhancing and spiritually fulfilling," (Ariyaratne 1999:73) then social science research on nonviolence and unarmed peacekeeping is an imperative. With this in mind I investigated the Shanthi Sena (Peace Brigade), an independent unit of the Sarvodaya Sharamadana Movement in Sri Lanka, through a six week in-depth case study; a full description, understanding and appreciation of a long established -yet little known- creative, nonviolent movement for social change and reconstruction.