Can the Female Rape Survivor of the Sri Lankan Civil War Speak?

• In Event: 50662 - Section on Peace, War, and Social Conflict Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Framing and Remembering Conflict

Abstract

The Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) left an indelible mark on the world. The civil was mainly a clash between the Sinhalese dominated government and Tamil Liberation Tigers (LTTE). During the civil war, both Sri Lankan state military troops and LTTE troops followed many strategies in combating the war. Among them, use of sexual violence played a pivotal role in fighting the war, the Sri Lankan state troop used sexual violence as a “weapon of war.” As a result, it left many Tamil female rape survivors in an extremely difficult position as it violated highly valued notions of chastity and virginity before marriage. Hence, sexual violence remain highly unreported to this date. When it comes to media, the depictions of these narratives aren’t complete and often times, their narratives have been misinterpreted. Female rape survivor’s depiction within this context is further erased and distorted. Therefore, this research project will examine representation of female rape survivors of Sri Lankan civil war in a cross range of media. I will examine various genres of feature and documentary films ranging from British, American, Canadian, Indian and Sri Lankan, which depicts the Sri Lankan survivor in similar and different ways. I will look at how survivors of Sri Lankan civil war were depicted, utilizing theories of postcolonial and transnational feminist theories. I will provide a content analysis of these movies and documentaries, in essence asking if these survivors “can speak,” or if this representation further silence and marginalize their experiences in the wider context of the Sri Lankan Civil War

Author

• Chamanka Gamage, SUNY-Albany