Fri Sep 20 12:15:53 UTC 2024: ## Cricket in Sri Lanka: A Tool for Reconciliation or Just a Popular Pastime?

**Durham, UK -** While many believe cricket is a key to reconciliation in Sri Lanka, a new study challenges this notion. Dr. Ben Hildred, an anthropologist at Durham University, spent years playing and observing cricket in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to understand its real impact on society.

His research reveals that while cricket is undeniably popular across ethnic and religious lines, its ability to foster social change is more complex than often assumed.

Hildred points to the national team’s diverse makeup in the 1940s-60s, reflecting the popularity of the sport amongst various ethnicities. Despite the national team’s current dominance by Sinhala Buddhists, the love for cricket remains a common ground.

The 1996 World Cup victory, achieved during the civil war, cemented cricket’s position as a unifying force, further boosting its popularity. However, Hildred cautions against simply equating popularity with social change.

He argues that the inherent structures of cricket, emphasizing individual responsibility to the team, often encourage working within the existing social system rather than challenging it. This, he says, could hinder efforts to use cricket for positive social change.

Hildred emphasizes the need for critical assessment of how sport can be used effectively for development and peacebuilding. He emphasizes that simply providing more sport doesn’t necessarily lead to positive change. His workshops with coaches across Sri Lanka aim to develop critical thinking in young players, encouraging them to question societal structures and become agents of change.

Hildred’s research sheds light on the complex relationship between sport and social change, highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding of how cricket can be used as a tool for positive transformation in Sri Lanka and beyond.

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