Divides and dialogue in the diaspora during Sri Lanka’s civil war

• In the armed conflict in Sri Lanka (1983–2009), the diaspora was actively involved, most importantly through its financial and political support to the Tamil separatists. This article explores the dynamics within the diaspora itself, looking at how conflict divides were maintained and reshaped outside Sri Lanka, but also at the possibilities for dialogue. It studies both Sinhalese and Tamils in the diaspora and enquires into their experiences of interaction with the ethnic other. Based on multi-sited fieldwork carried out during the latter phase of the war, it maps meeting spaces in the host countries and discusses how divides were entrenched or bridged in these spaces. The reversed majority–minority relations between the two groups are discussed, as are the perceptions that dialogue attempts can be a way of co-optation and an activity in which divides are confirmed rather than overcome.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Internationell migration och etniska relationer (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- International Migration and Ethnic Relations (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Keyword

diaspora politics; long-distance nationalism; dialogue; conflict; ethnic divides; Sri Lanka

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)