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Bodu Bala Sena och den buddhistiska nationalismen

Johansson, Andreas LU orcid (2026) In Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift 102(2). p.115-135
Abstract
This article examines the Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), focusing on how anti-Muslim rhetoric is inter-twined with broader projects of nationalism, religion, and identity formation. Drawing on digital material published by BBS, including articles, statements, and visual content, the study analyses how Muslims are portrayed as religious, cultural, demographic, and political threats to Buddhism and the Sri Lankan nation.

The article argues that BBS’s discourse cannot be understood solely as an expression of Islamophobia, but must also be situated within longer historical traditions of Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, shaped by colonial experiences, postcolonial tensions, and narratives of Buddhist... (More)
This article examines the Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), focusing on how anti-Muslim rhetoric is inter-twined with broader projects of nationalism, religion, and identity formation. Drawing on digital material published by BBS, including articles, statements, and visual content, the study analyses how Muslims are portrayed as religious, cultural, demographic, and political threats to Buddhism and the Sri Lankan nation.

The article argues that BBS’s discourse cannot be understood solely as an expression of Islamophobia, but must also be situated within longer historical traditions of Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, shaped by colonial experiences, postcolonial tensions, and narratives of Buddhist protec-tionism. By engaging theoretical perspectives on religion and nationalism, particularly Bruce Lincoln’s work, alongside recent scholarship on Bud-dhist Islamophobia, the study demonstrates how BBS combines locally rooted historical narratives with transnational discourses concerning
Islam, security, and civilizational conflict.

The analysis suggests that anti-Muslim rhetoric contributes to linking Buddhism, ethnicity, and national belonging in ways that reinforce exclusionary nationalist narratives. In this context, BBS portrays itself not only as a defender of religion, but also as a protector of the nation and its perceived continuity. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift
volume
102
issue
2
pages
21 pages
publisher
Svensk teologisk kvartalsskrift
external identifiers
  • scopus:105043741692
ISSN
0039-6761
DOI
10.51619/stk.v102i2.29302
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
3ad131d6-0134-43f9-ad73-2e9d49157a58
date added to LUP
2026-08-12 15:06:12
date last changed
2026-09-16 11:59:39
@article{3ad131d6-0134-43f9-ad73-2e9d49157a58,
  abstract     = {{This article examines the Sri Lankan Buddhist nationalist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), focusing on how anti-Muslim rhetoric is inter-twined with broader projects of nationalism, religion, and identity formation. Drawing on digital material published by BBS, including articles, statements, and visual content, the study analyses how Muslims are portrayed as religious, cultural, demographic, and political threats to Buddhism and the Sri Lankan nation.<br/><br/>The article argues that BBS’s discourse cannot be understood solely as an expression of Islamophobia, but must also be situated within longer historical traditions of Sinhala-Buddhist nationalism, shaped by colonial experiences, postcolonial tensions, and narratives of Buddhist protec-tionism. By engaging theoretical perspectives on religion and nationalism, particularly Bruce Lincoln’s work, alongside recent scholarship on Bud-dhist Islamophobia, the study demonstrates how BBS combines locally rooted historical narratives with transnational discourses concerning<br/>Islam, security, and civilizational conflict.<br/><br/>The analysis suggests that anti-Muslim rhetoric contributes to linking Buddhism, ethnicity, and national belonging in ways that reinforce exclusionary nationalist narratives. In this context, BBS portrays itself not only as a defender of religion, but also as a protector of the nation and its perceived continuity.}},
  author       = {{Johansson, Andreas}},
  issn         = {{0039-6761}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{115--135}},
  publisher    = {{Svensk teologisk kvartalsskrift}},
  series       = {{Svensk Teologisk Kvartalskrift}},
  title        = {{Bodu Bala Sena och den buddhistiska nationalismen}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/257875715/Johansson-2.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.51619/stk.v102i2.29302}},
  volume       = {{102}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}