The plot is situated in twentieth-century Sri Lanka. Th e protagonist is a Sri Lankan woman of a mixed racial origin (Eurasian) who grew up as an orphan at a time when the island was transitioning from colonial rule to independence. Her background, her marriage, and later her change of religious identity represent a slice of the emerging ethnic complexity on the island. She not only witnesses close-up the tragedies that occur in independent Sri Lanka in the form of Janatha Vimukti Perumuna...

Popular religion in village India is overwhelmingly dominated by goddess worship. Goddesses can be nationally well-known like Durga or Kali, or they can be an obscure deity who is only known in a particular rural locale. The origins of a goddess can be both ancient—with many transitions or amalgamations with other cults having occurred along the way—and very recent. While some have tribal origins, others sprout up overnight due to a vivid dream. Inventing and Reinventing the Goddess: Conte...

This book summarizes contemporary research on land degradation, desertification, and how such issues relate to socioeconomic growth in developing countries. With a focus on local and regional levels, the book offers an in-depth analysis of aeolian action as a physical process, causes of land degradation, and desertification. The causes and effects of land degradation were investigated by utilizing multiscale and multidisciplinary methodologies, merging spatial socioeconomic data with remot...