K. M. de Silva
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Professor Kingsley Muthumuni de Silva (born 31 December 1931), is a Sri Lankan academic, historian and author. A former lecturer of history at the
University of Ceylon, Peradeniya The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Univ ...
, de Silva has written numerous books on Sri Lankan history including the highly acclaimed ''A History of Sri Lanka''.


Early life and family

De Silva was born on 31 December 1931. He was educated at the
University of Ceylon, Peradeniya The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Univ ...
from where he received a BA degree in history. He later received a
Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
for his research into the social policy of missionary organisations in the mid-19th century. De Silva is married to Chandra and they have a son Rajiv (Ravi).


Career

After graduation de Silva started teaching at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. He was made chair of Sri Lanka history at the university in 1969. He held this position until 1995. De Silva was awarded a D.Litt degree by the University of London in 1991. He founded International Centre for Ethnic Studies in 1982 and served as its chairman and executive-director. He was awarded the 2002
Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize The is an award established by the city of Fukuoka and the Fukuoka City International Foundation (formerly The Yokatopia Foundation) to honor the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture. There are ...
in the academic category. De Silva was awarded the
Deshamanya Deshamanya ( si, දේශමාන්‍ය, translit=Dēshamāṉya; ta, தேசமான்ய, translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a ...
title in the
2017 Sri Lankan national honours In March 2017 President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena awarded national honours to 90 individuals for distinguished services. It was the first time in twelve years that awards were given out and there were 426 applicants. The awards ceremony w ...
. He was appointed Chancellor of the
University of Peradeniya The University of Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, ta, பேராதனைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) is a public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University ...
, Sri Lanka in May 2017.


Works

De Silva has written/edited numerous books during his long career. * ''History of Ceylon: Volume I Part 1'' (1959, Ceylon University Press) * ''History of Ceylon: Volume I Part 2 From the Earliest Times to 1505'' (1960, Ceylon University Press) * ''Social Policy and Missionary Organizations in Ceylon 1840-1855'' (1965, Longmans, Green & Co.) * ''History of Ceylon: Volume III From the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century to 1948'' (1973, University of Ceylon, editor) * ''A History of Sri Lanka'' (1981, University of California Press) * ''Managing Ethnic Tensions in Multi-Ethnic Societies: Sri Lanka, 1880-1985'' (1986, University Press of America,) * ''Religion, Nationalism, and the State in Modern Sri Lanka'' (1986, University of South Florida) * ''Internationalization of Ethnic Conflict'' (1991, Pinter, co-author Ronald James May) * ''Peace Accords and Ethnic Conflict'' (1993, Pinter, co-author S. W. R. De A. Samarasinghe) * ''J. R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka: a Political Biography'' (1994, University of Hawaii Press, co-author
William Howard Wriggins William Howard Wriggins (February 14, 1918 – August 30, 2008) was a US diplomat, author and academic who served as the United States ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1977 until 1979. His interest in the study of Sri Lanka spanned o ...
) * ''J. R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka: 1906-1956'' (1994, University of Hawaii Press, co-author
William Howard Wriggins William Howard Wriggins (February 14, 1918 – August 30, 2008) was a US diplomat, author and academic who served as the United States ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 1977 until 1979. His interest in the study of Sri Lanka spanned o ...
) * ''Regional powers and small state security: India and Sri Lanka, 1977-1990'' (1995, Woodrow Wilson Center Press) * ''Reaping the Whirlwind: Ethnic Conflict, Ethnic Politics in Sri Lanka'' (1998, Penguin) * ''Sri Lanka and the Defeat of the LTTE'' (2012, Penguin) * ''Ethnic Conflict in Buddhist Societies in South and Southeast Asia: The Politics Behind Religious Rivalries'' (2015, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Sri Lanka, editor) * ''The Making of a Historian: A Memoir'' (2017) * ''The Island Story: A Short History of Sri Lanka'' (2017)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Silva, K. M. 1931 births Academics of the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya) Academics of the University of Peradeniya Academics of the University of Sri Lanka (Peradeniya) Alumni of the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya) Alumni of the University of London Deshamanya Living people 20th-century Sri Lankan historians Sinhalese historians 21st-century Sri Lankan historians Historians of Sri Lanka Indian foreign policy writers