The Case of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora and Homeland: A Shared Ethnic Identity?

Abstract

The conceptualization of an ethnic identity is complicated when one considers how this identity is understood by the diasporic community and by the homeland community. This article argues that the second‐generation Sri Lankan Tamil diasporic community in Toronto conceptualize their Tamil ethnic identity in a manner that supports their right to engage in homeland politics. However, not all Tamils in Sri Lanka share this understanding. Drawing on over one hundred interviews conducted among second‐generation Tamils in Toronto and their age‐cohort in Sri Lanka, this article argues that the very premise upon which the diasporic population base their right to engage in homeland politics and their right to claim membership of a shared ethnic identity may not be justified by those in the homeland. These diverging perspectives of ethnic identity challenge the role of the diasporic community in homeland affairs.

“Who are we without the war?”: The evolution of the Tamil ethnic identity in post-conflict Sri Lanka

“…Their rationale for homeland political engagement was cited primarily as a feeling of connection to the homeland based on a shared ethnic identity, and a desire to protect the homeland from a threat to this identity (e.g. Thurairajah, 2012Thurairajah, , 2017. But what ethnic identity are they connecting to?…”

“…When asked about what could be done to help the Tamils moving forward, participants spoke of how they either needed to act (e.g. get education or get back to traditional roots), or they argued that the diaspora needed to take more responsibility for ensuring the well-being of Tamils in the future (Thurairajah, 2017). Although some participants expressed disbelief that Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE was truly dead, and therefore, the cause was truly defeated, most participants chose to avoid answering questions about the LTTE, which may suggest one of two things: that their trauma of the war was still fresh, and the LTTE was a major trigger point; or their concern that speaking aloud their support for the LTTE could get them into major trouble with the military personnel who were still present in the regions at the time of the interviews.…”

Diasporic mobilization and post-war uplift: an inquiry into the global Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora's influence in post-war Sri Lanka

“…Although the diasporic and homeland conditions for determining identity are vastly different, the shared nature of the Tamil identity prescribes a responsibility for Tamil populations to both protect and defend their Tamil brethren, and to prevent the extinction of the Tamil heritage and language as attempted by the Sinhala majority government (Thurairajah, 2017). This chapter does not intend on discussing the highly politicized perspectives and arguments against or for the labeling of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as "Tamil Tigers", as freedom fighters or as a terrorist organization.…”

“…As discussed by Wayland (2004), the uniqueness of the Tamil diaspora is that its mere existence, and extra-terrestrial but rapid global formation, is largely a result of ethno-nationalist conflict and fear of persecution in the homeland, as opposed to the objective to fulfill economic needs or the desire to pursue a life abroad (p. 408). That said, Thurairajah (2017) identifies the "coherent narrative of the 'original ' homeland" (p. 116) as the one dimension that differentiates a diasporic community from a transnational community. By this demarcation, the SLT diaspora has a dependency on the homeland, with an inclination towards emotional attachment to the roots and cultural elements connected to Sri Lanka (Thurairajah, 2017).…”

Tamil diaspora activism in the post-liberal international order: navigating politics and norms

“…The Tamil diaspora has, for the most part, sought to maintain distinct ethnic and cultural identity boundaries tied to the homeland at the centre of their political imaginaries (Brubaker, 2005;Thurairajah, 2017). Their identity formation is in turn linked to opportunity structures, mobilizing structures and framing processes involved in political identity dynamics and activism in relation to the home state and host states (Adamson, 2005;Amarasingham, 2015, p. 9;Koinova, 2011).…”