ABSTRACT
For Sri Lanka, one can locate interest group and class analysis by using the concept of a core-periphery continuum. It is important to establish from the outset the modesty of the claims made here for the utility of the core-periphery concept. The core-periphery concept does not imply any generalisable model of the functioning of national politics or economies. This chapter argues that the discrete rural and urban categories cannot easily be applied in Sri Lanka without considerable ambiguity and imprecision. It is a short step from this to a regional core-periphery categorisation which demarcates consistent patterns of intra-rural differentiation in economic activities, coinciding with a degree of access to the capital. The chapter summarises the historical, topographical and agro-climatic correlates and causes of this core-periphery pattern. Finally, it demonstrates that this pattern provides a useful framework for beginning to understand how conflicts over material resources – especially agricultural resources – have arisen and been pursued.
