experience in America. It makes detailed comparisons between Indo­
chinese groups and important distinctions between the earliest wave of
migrants and l ater arrival s . This book contains useful information from
the survey of San Diego refugees, including basic demographic data and
multiv ariate analyses of factors such as employment status and health
care utilization. Finally, Strand and Jones, who are profes sors at San
Diego State and the University of Houston respectively , write in a clear,
direct manner which makes it easy to understand their ideas.
Unfortunately, this book has at least two general shortcomings. By
trying to cover s o much ground in relatively few pages , the book (perhaps
inevitably) treats some subj ects in an incomplete or even superficial
manner . This is especially the case with the background material on
I ndochinese cultures and histories. Also, the description of Indochinese
problems should h ave incorporated more of the recent research in this
area. A second s hortcoming has to do with the book's overall perspective
o n adaptation. While the authors are aware that various Indochinese
s o cial and cultural p atterns and practices are likely to persist, they give
little attention to the positive value of retaining (much less reinforcing)
any o f these. Consequently, the p otential significance of such p atterns
for successful resettlement is unnecess arily deemphasized. One policy
recommendation (one of nineteen at the end of the book) is apt to be
controversial : "In the case of Indochinese refugees , the United States
should s eek support for local resettlement in Indochina and provide the
appropriate funds for that effort if suitable locations are found . " In the
absence of further clarification, this recommendation seems to suggest
that the government endorse a policy of returning Indochinese migrants
to their homelands.
On balance, Indochinese Refugees in A merica is a noteworthy contri­
bution to the literature on ethnic groups, primarily because of the scope of
its coverage. And, despite some flaws, it should prove to be a useful
resource for government policymakers, social service providers, and
college courses on race relations and Asian-American studies.
-Russell Endo
U niversity of Colorado
s. J. T ambiah. Sri Lanka: Ethnic Fratricide and the Dismantling
of Democracy. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1 986)
xi, 198 pp., $ 1 7 . 9 5 .
Is i t possible to analyze a political dilemma as con voluted and
desperate as the turmoil existing today between the Sinhalese Buddhists
and Tamil Hindus of Sri Lanka that has cost nearly 5 ,000 lives during
the last five years alone? S . J . Tambiah succeeds most admirably in
offering a clear assessment of historical, sociological, and other factors
contributing to the current crisis in Sri Lanka. This is no mean feat
80
Explorations in Sights a nd Sounds No. 7 (Summer 1 987)
consid eri n g that Tambiah is not a dispassionate observer but rather, as a
Tamil, has experienced first-hand the effects of the i n creasing pol ariza­
tion of the two ethnic groups.
Tambiah attempts to m a ke sense of the motivati o n s beh i n d the
n atio n wide riots of 1 983 in which government forces collaborated with
the Sinhalese to destroy Tamil businesses and to terrorize the Tamil
population i n genera l . I t is, fo r the most part, a well-balanced e s s a y ,
structured first to present i s s u e s from Sinhalese a n d T a m i l p o i n ts of view
and then to discuss the facts pertinent to the issues. A case in point i s the
current perceptio n of mutual ethnic exclusivity. The Sinhalese, en meshed
i n a fundamentalist nati o n alist B uddhi s m , desire a pure indigenous ( i . e . ,
Sinh alese) S ri Lankan populati o n and want the Tamils to return to
southern Indian where they origin ated. H o wever, Sri Lankan Tamils feel
n o collective ties to southern I ndia, having emigrated
centuries ago. They con sider themselves Sri Lankans, but, bei n g denied
access i n their homeland to educati o n a l , governmental , and admini stra·
tive opportunities, have called for a sep arate Tamil state within Sri
Lanka. To shed light o n this conflict , Tambiah cites archeological
evidence i n dicating that both eth nic groups origin ated i n southern
I n dia. He counters the percepti o n of traditional enmity between the two
groups as unfo u nded, emphasizing the past symbiosis o f t h e two c u l t ures
through intermarriage, com plementary rel igious rites, and CoolJ l' ra t i v e
governmental administrati o n .
Following a n exhaustive s t u d y of the myriad issues in t h e S r i L a n k a n
conflict, t h e essay c o n c l u d e s with a brief discussion of S r i L a n k a as a
case study to explain the international trend towards use of i n stitu­
t i o n a l i z e d v i o l e n c e , i n c l u d i n g the s o rt p r a cticed b �' u ncli,.;r" i p l i n e d
elements in the army a n d police, rather than reasoned coo perati o n to
settle internal conflicts. Although Tambiah does not greatly e x p a n d
u p o n t h i s paralleL his a n a l y s i s and prescripti o n s for t h e resoluti o n of the
Sri Lankan conflict may serve a s an outline for an effective r e s p o n s e to
other internal conflicts such as that in N o rthern Ireland.
My sole criticism of this essay i s the author's ten d e n c y to d o c u m e n t
S i n h alese excesses thoroughly while mentioning, but n o t a n a l y z i n g .
T a m i l aggressions against t h e Sinhalese.
Tambiah ' s command of his s ubj ect a n d schol arly documentation can
d o much to contribute to the stabilization of the Sri L a n k a n political
scene should Sri Lankan leaders con scientiously u n d ertake his prescrip­
tio n s . He is able to maintain a high degree of obj ectivity a n d use his
pers onal experience to advantage, displaying compassionate u n der­
standing of each side's grievances. Tambiah writes to e n a b l e b o t h
Sin halese and Tamils to grasp more fully t h e u nderlying causes of t h e Sri
L a n k a n c o n flict and to point the way to a negotiated sett I P nw n t o f
differences before all sembl ance o f democracy is destroyed.
- Proshanta K . N a n di
Sangamon State University
Explorations in Sights a n d Sou nds N o 7 ( Summer 1 98 7)
.
81