2011 Volume 10 Issue 2 Pages 257-288
Today, there are roughly two hundred elders' homes in Sri Lanka. Except for three governmental institutions, all the others are private homes run mostly by philanthropic actors. These institutions are dependent on neighboring supporters in its daily provision of free meals and other equipment conceptualized as dāna, or unreciprocated generous giving, which also accompanies memorial service by the inmates for the deceased kin of the givers. This article is a genealogical study of such philanthropic elders' homes in Sri Lanka. While previous studies have discussed the rise of elders' homes within the context of Westernization and modernization, this article attempts to trace a historical account of its birth and formation in colonial/post-colonial context. By investigating both the rise of the colonial elites who established such institutions, and the establishment of its own unique fund-raising system through dāna, I try to reveal the process of indigenization of Christian charity into a more locally nuanced practice. Two main impacts will be discussed as a result of indigenization; one being the socialization of institution through gift-giving and interaction between the inmates and neighbors, and the other being the supposed alteration of memorial ritual with expanded interpretation regarding the time and the object for such practices.
