1. Nirekha De Silva,
PhD Candidate, Griffith Law School, Queensland, Australia

2. Coomaraswmy’s Interest in Revival
of Arts and Crafts in the Orient

Coomaraswamy‟s family background.
The socializing experiences in his formative period.
The psychological implications of the perception of
self.
The socio-political background in the Orient.
2

3. Coomaraswamy’s
Childhood

 Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was born in Ceylon in 1877
 The only child, to a Tamil father and an English mother.
3

4. Coomaraswamy‟s
Education

 Educated at Wycliffe College and at London University.
 Doctoral work –
„Scientific Survey of the Mineralogy of Ceylon.‟
4

5. Coomaraswamy‟s
Interest in Ceylon
 Roots in Ceylon

 Carefully studied Ceylon culture.
 Insider Vs. Outside status
 Negotiating relations with the Occident and the Orient.
His pioneering efforts in safeguarding culture was
enriched by –
• The influence of Western socialization
• Keen interest in studying culture and traditional
knowledge of India and Sri Lanka
5

6. Distressed about the
Colonial Influence

The corrosive effects
and
negative impact
of
British Colonialism
in
India and Sri Lanka.
6

7. Colonization

 Introduced Western way of life.
 Disoriented the colonized from their art of living.
 Had the Impact of destroying the traditional art of
7
living.

8. „The highest ideal of nationality is service;
and it is because this service is impossible for us as long

as we are politically and spiritually dominated by any
Western civilisation,
that we are bound to achieve our freedom.
It is in this spirit that we must say to Englishmen,
that we will achieve this freedom,
if they will,
with their consent and with their help;
and if they will not,
then without their consent
and in spite of their resistance.‟
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. 1909: Essays in National Idealism. P. ix) 8

9. Introduction of Western
Education

A way of introducing English way of life and
English value system.
The colonial education oriented the young
generations,
 to the colonial language,
 to western religions
 to the western perspective of history.
9

10. The aim of such education system is to form a
class of persons “Indian in colour, but English
in taste, in opinion, in morals and intellect.”
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. 1946: Indian Culture and English Influence: An Address to
Indian Students and Their Friends, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
January 1944, P. 31)
10

11. 
„I have no idea how many years it
might take to outgrow a missionary
college education, or to recover from
a course of lectures on Comparative
Religion offered by a Calvinist.‟
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. East and West: 10)
11

12. The Introduction of Capitalist
Mode of Production
“An acquisitive 
society, materialistic
in its interests,
unhealthy in its
pleasures, “A murderous
disillusioned in its machine with no
ideals and moving conscience and no
blindly towards
disaster” ideals.”
- Professor Foerster, of Princeton - Professor La Piana of
University) Harvard University 12

13. Breakdown of Value
System

 Any established institution is governed by the values
the given society.
 Most foreigners who attack and reject the existing
institutions, do so without understanding the morale
basis of the established institution.
 Introducing new institutions without understanding
the moral basis of a society results in not been able to
fulfil moral intentions. (Coomaraswamy, A. K. East and West: 15)
13

14. Breakdown of Traditional
Legal System

 In the pre-colonial era,
 the law was based on the religious and belief system of the
community.
 the law promoted and safeguarded traditional arts and
crafts
 Roman Dutch Law was alien to the community in
Sri Lanka.
 The new legal system had the effect in changing
values, customs and social practices. 14

15. Cultural Alienation

One can
“become a queer mixture of East
and West,
out of place everywhere,
at home nowhere”
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. East and West: 11)
15

16. The Role of Traditional Arts and Crafts in
Safeguarding Cultural Identity of a Community

Artists and poets
play the most
crucial role in
crafting the
identity of a
nation.
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. 1909.
Essays in National Idealism: p. ii)
16

17. „Art contains in itself
the deepest principals of life,
the truest guide to the greatest art,
the Art of Living.
The true life, the ideal of Indian culture,
is itself a unity and an art,
because of its inspirations by one ruling
passion,
the desire to realise a spiritual inheritance.‟
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. 1909:Essays in National Idealism p.ii) 17

18. Coomaraswamy‟s Efforts
in Reviving Traditional
Arts and Crafts

18

19. Documented
 Ananda Kentish

Coomaraswamy‟ s multifaceted
writings deal primarily with,
 visual art,
 aesthetics,
 literature and language,
 folklore,
 mythology,
 religion,
 metaphysics.
19

20. 20

21. 
21

22. 22

23. 23

24. Defending Indigenous art and
architecture in India and Sri Lanka

Purpose of traditional art :
preserve and transmit moral values and
spiritual teachings derived from the tradition
in which it appeared, and
towards the satisfaction of present needs.
24

25. Interpreting Cultures,
Arts and Crafts

 Provides an ideological base to interpret and
understand different cultures, arts and crafts.
 He is a pioneer interpreter of Sri Lankan and
Indian culture to the west.
 He introduces the religious meaning of art. 25

26. Promoting Traditional
Form of Government

The practical value of the
traditional theory of
kingship for the 20th
century promoted in –
„Spiritual Authority and
Temporal Power‟
26

27. Developing National
Consciousness

The two essentials of nationality
Geographical unity
A common historic evolution or culture
(Coomaraswamy A. K. 1909: 7)
27

28. Promoting Cultural
Nationalism

Cultural nationalism meant,
a national identity shaped by cultural
traditions and by language
28

29. Ceylon Social
Reform Society

Ananda Coomaraswamy is
the founder ,
the inaugural President and
the moving force,
of the Ceylon Social Reform Society (1905).
The objective was to preserve and revive the traditional
arts and crafts as well as the social values and customs
which had helped to shape them.
29

30. Contribution towards
Swadeshi Movement

 Advocated for 'cultural nationalism.„
 The Honorary National President of the National Committee
for Indian freedom formed in Washington, USA, in 1914.
30

31. Promoting Indigenous
Education

“In order to safeguard the traditional
education system, every Government and
missionary college and school during the
colonial period to be replaced by native
colleges and schools, where young men
and women are taught to be true
nationalists.”
(Coomaraswamy, A. K. 1909: Essays in National Idealism. P. iii) 31

32. The Impact of Coomaraswamy‟s
Efforts

32

33. International Recognition
for Asian Art

A pioneer in introducing Indian and Sri
Lankan civilization and its arts and crafts
based on eastern religious philosophies.
33

34. Reviving, Internationalizing and
Safeguarding Cultural Identity

Through,
 Ideologies
 Research
 Documentation
 Political Mobilisation
34

35. Think-Tanks to Promote and
Preserve Traditional Culture

Following Institutions were influenced by
Coomaraswamy‟s ideologies-
 Sri Lanka Institute of Traditional Studies
 The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
 The Foundation for Traditional Studies in the U.S.
35

36. Ananda Coomaraswamy was,
one of the most erudite scholars of 20th Century; who
advocated the wisdom of tradition; and
revived the cultural identity of India and Sri Lanka,
through arts and crafts…
36

37. Special Thanks to
My Supervisors

Prof. Fiona Kumari Campbell
Principal Supervisor
Deputy Head of School (Learning and Teaching
Scholarship), Griffith Law School, Griffith
University, Queensland, Australia.
Dr. Jay Sanderson
Associate Supervisor
Lecturer, Griffith Law School, Griffith
University, Queensland, Australia
Dr. Asoka Sinharaja Wijetunga Tammita-Delgoda
External Supervisor
37

38. Thank You!!!
