ABSTRACT
This chapter closely examines the so-called “venasa” (change), a political transformation that occurred in the 2015 elections when the authoritarian and repressive Mahinda Rajapaksa regime was ousted at the ballot box. The purpose of such close scrutiny is to understand the changing character of civil society during that period, and how it has configured itself vis-à-vis a changing political landscape since 2009, which coincides with the end of the civil war between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese state. The chapter draws on the author’s long-standing focus on civil society scholarship, as well as his engagement in a variety of civil society organizations, movements, and networks.
