Defeated Identity and Socio-Emotional Reconciliation: An Inquiry into the Sri Lankan Post-war Context

Abstract

In 2009, the Sri Lankan state armed forces triumphed in a 26-year-long civil war over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), leading to annual war victory celebrations on 19th May that impede ethnic harmony. This study investigates the emotional impact of these celebrations on the defeated identity among the Tamil community in post-war Sri Lanka and how it influences socio-emotional reconciliation. Data was gathered from fourteen qualitative semi-structured interviews with people from the Tamil community in war-affected areas. Using thematic analysis and theories, including Emotional Regulation Theory and the Five Conditions for Reconciliation, the study explored the formation of a defeated identity and its effects on post-war socio-emotional reconciliation. The war victory celebrations clearly evoked a range of negative emotions among participants, including sadness, anger, fear, disappointment, frustration, shame, and hopelessness. These feelings primarily stemmed from their experiences of being ignored and stereotyped as terrorists, the fundamentalist and discriminatory aspects of the celebrations, the extensive damage from the thirty-year civil war, ongoing rights violations, a pervasive sense of helplessness and insecurity, and the trauma of recalling their unpleasant experiences. Consequently, the Tamil community in post-war society has developed a defeated identity, which obstructs ethnic reconciliation and psychological healing. The study suggests that institutional policies, recognition of Tamil nationhood, acceptance of responsibility, respect for history and culture, and finding common moral ground are essential for restoring this defeated identity.