Emergence of a New Identity Through Migration: A Comparative Case Study of Sri Lankan Tamil Women in Sri Lanka and Singapore

Diotima Chattoraj

《Nusantara：An International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences》 1卷1期 (2019/12) Pp. 26-46

https://doi.org/10.6936/NIJHSS.201912_1(1).0002

摘要

Sri Lanka has been in the limelight for quite a long time due to the civil war of 1983. This forced many Sri Lankan Tamils to flee and seek refuge in different parts of their country as well as in several South-East Asian countries particularly in Singapore and Malaysia. With the end of the war in 2009, some internally displaced persons (IDP) decided to return to their homes in Jaffna. However, some that those migrated abroad, decided to integrate at their displaced locations. Although desire to return was related to high expectations, in many cases, this desire was replaced by a deep sense of disappointment due to the sociopolitical and economic changes in their hometown. Nevertheless, a few returnees experienced their new lives in their old hometown as a life-changing and enriching experience. This provided them with new opportunities and a scope for personal fulfillment. This article is based on the analysis of empirical data stemming from narrative interviews and observations with Sri Lankan Tamil women, both in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Based on this and additional material collected during fieldwork in 2013 and 2018, this paper analyzes the different cases in relation to the diverse experiences of return and integration; the various challenges, aspirations and the strategies to cope in two different countries of Sri Lanka and Singapore. The article argues that migration has brought several discernible changes to their lives in transforming their sense of belonging and cultivating a new kind of attachment towards home. It also elucidates how notions of home have changed. With an emphasis on a gendered perspective, the author aims to compare and contrast the female population have managed to find their place in a male-dominated (Sri Lankan and Singaporean) society and how their engagement with society creates new potential for social, cultural, and possibly also political change.

關鍵字

return migration ； meaning of home ； Sri Lankan Tamils ； Singapore ； Sri Lanka