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WOUNDS OF MEMORY: TRAUMA, VIOLENCE, AND IDENTITY IN
CONTEMPORARY SRI LANKAN FICTION
Ms. A pi a Roychowdhu y
SACT1, Bhai ab Ganguly College
Belgho ia, Kolka a, Wes Bengal
a pi [email protected]
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17283322
Abs ac
This pape in es iga es he depic ions o auma, iolence, and iden i y in con empo a y S i Lankan
ic ion h ough pos colonial auma heo y and beginning wi h he li e a y a e ma h o he S i Lankan ci il
wa (1983 – 2009). This pape examines how au ho s such as Michael Ondaa je, Shyam Sel adu ai, Nayomi
Munawee a, Romesh Guneseke a and o he s encoun e collec i e auma and indi idual auma and hei
con e sa ions wi h gende , sexuali y, and iden i y. Using close li e a y eadings in o med by auma heo y,
pos colonial s udies, and quee heo y, my esea ch illus a es how con empo a y S i Lankan ic ion u ilize
dis inc na a i e s a egies ha engage wi h un ep esen able expe iences o wa and demons a e how
auma in o ms he de elopmen o iden i y in pos colonial con ex s. O e all, he pape posi s ha S i
Lankan ic ion c i ically a ends o he eme gence o con empo a y auma discou se in no el ways abou
he in e sec ions o pe sonal and poli ical iolence and concep s o belonging, displacemen , and healing in
pos colonial con ex s.
Keywo ds: S i Lankan li e a u e, auma heo y, pos colonial s udies, ci il wa ic ion, gende and sexuali y,
diaspo a na a i es
In oduc ion
His o ical Con ex
The S i Lankan ci il wa , spanning om 1983 o 2009, ep esen s one o he mos
de as a ing con lic s in Sou h Asian his o y, lea ing an indelible ma k on he na ion's collec i e
consciousness and cul u al p oduc ion. This p o ac ed e hnic con lic be ween he Sinhalese-
domina ed go e nmen and he Libe a ion Tige s o Tamil Eelam (LTTE) esul ed in o e
100,000 dea hs and he displacemen o millions, c ea ing wha auma heo is Ca hy Ca u h
would desc ibe as "an e en o expe ience which o e whelms he indi idual and esis s
language o ep esen a ion" (Ca u h 4). The wa 's impac ex ended a beyond he ba le ield,
pe mea ing e e y aspec o S i Lankan socie y and c ea ing wha Judi h He man e ms "complex
auma"— he esul o p olonged, epea ed expe iences o iolence and powe lessness
(He man 119).
The pos colonial dimension o his auma canno be unde s a ed. S i Lanka's independence
om B i ish colonial ule in 1948 did no immedia ely esol e he ensions c ea ed by colonial
di ide-and- ule policies ha had exace ba ed e hnic di isions be ween Sinhalese and Tamil
communi ies. Acco ding o S e C aps, pos colonial socie ies o en expe ience wha he calls
"de e ed auma," whe e he e ec s o colonial iolence mani es in la e e hnic and poli ical
con lic s (C aps 45). The ci il wa hus ep esen s bo h a con inua ion o colonial auma and
he c ea ion o new o ms o iolence ha would p o oundly shape S i Lankan iden i y.
Cul u al and linguis ic di isions u he complica ed he auma landscape. The 1956 O icial
Language Ac , which made Sinhala he sole o icial language, ma ginalized Tamil speake s and
c ea ed wha Michelle Balae desc ibes as "cul u al auma"— he assaul on he ounda ional
assump ions ha hold communi ies oge he (Balae 78). These di isions would la e mani es
in li e a u e h ough agmen ed na a i es, mul ilingual exp ession, and he explo a ion o
hyb id iden i ies.
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Theo e ical F amewo k
This s udy employs an in e disciplina y heo e ical amewo k ha b ings oge he auma
heo y, pos colonial s udies, and gende /quee heo y o analyze how S i Lankan au ho s
ep esen iolence and i s a e ma h. T auma heo y, as de eloped by schola s like Ca hy Ca u h
and Judi h He man, p o ides essen ial ools o unde s anding how ex eme expe iences esis
con en ional na a i e ep esen a ion. Ca u h's concep o auma as "unclaimed expe ience" is
pa icula ly ele an o unde s anding how S i Lankan w i e s employ agmen ed, non-linea
na a i es o ep esen he unspeakable na u e o wa iolence (Ca u h 17).
Pos colonial auma s udies, ad anced by schola s such as S e C aps and Michelle Balae ,
o e s c ucial insigh s in o how auma mani es s in o me ly colonized socie ies. C aps a gues
ha adi ional auma heo y, de eloped p ima ily in Wes e n con ex s, o en ails o accoun
o he speci ic expe iences o pos colonial subjec s who ace ongoing s uc u al iolence and
cul u al displacemen (C aps 24). This amewo k is essen ial o unde s anding how S i Lankan
au ho s na iga e he dual bu den o colonial and pos colonial auma.
The in eg a ion o quee heo y and gende s udies in o auma analysis e eals how sexual
and gende iden i y in e sec wi h expe iences o iolence. Judi h Bu le 's wo k on gende
pe o ma i i y and Lee Edelman's c i ique o ep oduc i e u u ism p o ide amewo ks o
unde s anding how quee subjec s expe ience auma di e en ly, pa icula ly in con ex s
whe e non-no ma i e sexuali ies ace addi ional pe secu ion du ing imes o con lic (Bu le
185; Edelman 67).
Memo y s udies, pa icula ly he wo k o Ma ianne Hi sch on pos memo y and Ann
C e ko ich on auma cul u es, in o m his analysis o how auma ic expe iences a e
ansmi ed ac oss gene a ions and h ough cul u al ex s (Hi sch 103; C e ko ich 89). These
heo e ical app oaches a e c ucial o unde s anding how S i Lankan ic ion pa icipa es in he
cul u al wo k o memo y and mou ning.
T auma S udies in Pos colonial Li e a u e
The applica ion o auma heo y o pos colonial li e a u e has e ealed bo h he po en ial
and limi a ions o Wes e n-de i ed heo e ical amewo ks when applied o non-Wes e n
con ex s. While ea ly auma heo y, de eloped p ima ily in esponse o Holocaus s udies and
Ame ican psychia ic discou se, p o ided aluable insigh s in o he na u e o auma ic
expe ience, schola s like S e C aps ha e a gued o he need o "decolonize auma s udies" by
a ending o he speci ic his o ical and cul u al con ex s o pos colonial auma (C aps 19).
Dominick La Cap a's dis inc ion be ween s uc u al and his o ical auma p o es
pa icula ly ele an o pos colonial con ex s, whe e ongoing s uc u al inequali ies c ea e
condi ions o epea ed auma ic expe iences (La Cap a 77). In S i Lankan li e a u e, his
mani es s as ep esen a ions o auma ha canno be con ained wi hin singula e en s bu
a he e lec ongoing expe iences o ma ginaliza ion and iolence.
Michelle Balae 's wo k on cul u al auma expands ou unde s anding o how en i e
communi ies can expe ience auma h ough a acks on hei ounda ional belie s and p ac ices
(Balae 149). This concep is essen ial o unde s anding how S i Lankan au ho s ep esen he
collec i e dimension o e hnic con lic and i s impac on communi y iden i y.
S i Lankan Li e a u e and Con lic
P e ious schola ship on S i Lankan li e a u e has es ablished impo an ounda ions o
unde s anding how he ci il wa has been ep esen ed in ic ion. Minoli Salgado's pionee ing
wo k on S i Lankan English li e a u e du ing he con lic pe iod demons a es how au ho s
na iga e he challenges o ep esen ing iolence while a oiding bo h sensa ionalism and silence
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(Salgado 45). He analysis e eals how S i Lankan w i e s employ s a egies o indi ec ion and
me apho o ep esen auma ic expe iences.
Diaspo a li e a u e has ecei ed pa icula a en ion om schola s examining how
displacemen shapes li e a y ep esen a ion. Nee ha He ia achchi's s udy o S i Lankan
diaspo ic w i ing e eals how au ho s nego ia e be ween p ese a ion o cul u al memo y and
adap a ion o new con ex s (He ia achchi 112). This body o wo k is c ucial o unde s anding
how auma a els ac oss geog aphical and gene a ional bounda ies.
Schola s like Ramya ChamalieJi asinghe and Neluka Sil aha e add essed gende
pe spec i es in S i Lankan ic ion -- pa icula ly how women w i e s dis up male na a i es o
na ionalism and con lic (Ji asinghe 67; Sil a 89).They lay he g oundwo k o examining how
gende complica es auma in S i Lankan li e a u e.
Me hodological App oach
Th ough his s udy's cen al me hodology o close ex ual analysis and a en ion o passages
and na a i e echniques, his s udy examines how au ho s exp ess auma. The close eading
d aws on eminis and quee eading s a egies ha b ing in o iew how gende and sexuali y
shape auma ic expe ience and he ep esen a ion o auma ic expe ience.
The pos colonial heo e ical swi ch ocuses ou a en ion on how he au ho s espond o
dominan na a i es o wes e n impe ialism and au ho i y abou con lic and iden i y, and how
he au ho s esis hose na a i es. In pa icula , a en ion is paid o how he au ho s esis a
ocus on indi idualised auma ic expe ience, so common in wes e n auma heo y, and hone
in on collec i e and cul u al aspec s o auma in hei wo k.
Compa a i e eadings o he au ho s p oduced insigh s abou bo h common s a egies as
well as pa icula , indi idual ways o ep esen ing auma in ic ion, hus shi ing he
unde s anding o S i Lankan ic ion's engagemen and con ibu ion o auma discou ses in a
global sense, while emaining a en i e o place, cul u e and con ex .
Gende ed Violence and Sexual Iden i y in Sel adu ai and Munawee a
Shyam Sel adu ai's Funny Boy
Shyam Sel adu ai's Funny Boy is inno a i e o S i Lankan li e a u e because i aligns quee
iden i y wi h e hnic iolence and demons a es how sexual mino i ies a e subjec ed o se e al
o ms o ma ginaliza ion in pe iods o con lic . The no el's coming-o -age plo shows ha he
p o agonis A jun's de eloping consciousness o his homosexuali y in e sec s wi h a amily
expe ience o an i-Tamil iolence du ing he io s o 1983.
Sel adu ai es ablishes he ela ionship be ween sexual and e hnic ma ginaliza ion ea ly in
he no el when young A jun is chas ised by amily membe s o his gende non-con o mi y,
wo ied ha A jun will b ing e en mo e sc u iny o hei Tamil iden i y. His g andmo he
wa ns, "Wha will people hink? We ha e enough p oblems al eady" (Sel adu ai 23). This
momen e eals how mino i y communi ies o en police in e nal di e ence o p o ec
hemsel es om ex e nal pe secu ion, c ea ing wha José Es eban Muñoz calls
"disiden i ica ion"— he need o ma ginalized subjec s o nego ia e mul iple, some imes
con lic ing iden i y posi ions (Muñoz 97).
The 1983 io s se e as he no el's cen al auma ic e en , when an i-Tamil iolence e up s
h oughou Colombo and undamen ally al e s A jun's amily's sense o sa e y and belonging.
Sel adu ai's desc ip ion o he iolence emphasizes i s andom, e i ying na u e: "The mob
mo ed like a many-headed beas , des oying e e y hing Tamil in i s pa h" (Sel adu ai 187). The
dehumanizing language used o desc ibe bo h he pe pe a o s and ic ims o iolence
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demons a es wha Judi h Bu le calls he "g ie able li e"—how ce ain li es a e deemed
wo hy o p o ec ion while o he s a e ende ed disposable (Bu le 204).
The no el's explo a ion o in e sec ionali y e eals how A jun aces wha Kimbe lé
C enshaw e ms "double jeopa dy"—disc imina ion based on bo h his e hnic iden i y and his
eme ging homosexuali y (C enshaw 149). This in e sec ion becomes pa icula ly dange ous
du ing he io s, when any o m o di e ence can become g ounds o iolence. The no el
sugges s ha quee subjec s a e especially ulne able du ing e hnic con lic s because hey
canno ely on p o ec ion om hei own communi ies.
Sel adu ai's ea men o coming-o -age du ing ci il con lic demons a es how auma can
in e up no mal de elopmen al p ocesses. A jun's sexual awakening occu s simul aneously
wi h his amily's o ced displacemen , c ea ing wha Ann C e ko ich calls " auma ime"— he
dis up ion o linea empo ali y ha makes no mal de elopmen impossible (C e ko ich 156).
The no el's ending, wi h he amily's depa u e o Canada, sugges s ha healing may equi e
geog aphical as well as psychological dis ance om auma ic e en s.
Nayomi Munawee a's Island o a Thousand Mi o s and Wha Lies Be ween Us
Nayomi Munawee a's no els p o ide c ucial ep esen a ions o women's expe iences o
wa auma, demons a ing how gende shapes bo h ulne abili y o iolence and s a egies o
su i al. Island o a Thousand Mi o s employs a dual na a i e s uc u e o show how he ci il
wa a ec s bo h Sinhalese and Tamil amilies, challenging na ionalis na a i es ha demonize
he e hnic o he .
The no el's ea men o in e gene a ional ansmission o iolence e eals how auma
passes om mo he s o daugh e s h ough bo h di ec expe ience and cul u al memo y. When
Yasodha a's daugh e asks abou he wa , she s uggles o explain: "How do you ell a child
abou he unspeakable? How do you pass on a legacy o blood?" (Munawee a, Island 167). This
ques ion cap u es he dilemma aced by many auma su i o s who mus decide how much o
hei expe ience o sha e wi h he nex gene a ion.
Wha Lies Be ween Us ocuses mo e explici ly on sexual iolence and i s in e sec ion wi h
poli ical auma. The no el's explo a ion o domes ic iolence wi hin S i Lankan-Ame ican
immig an amilies demons a es how auma a els ac oss geog aphical bounda ies and
mani es s in in ima e ela ionships. Munawee a shows how he mo he 's unp ocessed auma
om he wa yea s a ec s he abili y o p o ec he daugh e om sexual abuse, c ea ing wha
Lau a B own calls "insidious auma"— he ongoing e ec s o opp ession and ma ginaliza ion
(B own 107).
The no el's ea men o silencing e eals how sexual iolence is o en hidden wi hin
communi ies al eady auma ized by poli ical iolence. The mo he 's inabili y o speak abou
he expe iences e lec s wha Do i Laub iden i ies as he "impe a i e o ell and he impossibili y
o elling" ha cha ac e izes many auma su i o s (Laub 78). Munawee a sugges s ha
b eaking his silence equi es no jus indi idual cou age bu collec i e commi men o hea ing
and belie ing women's expe iences.
Bo h no els demons a e how women's agency ope a es wi hin se e e cons ain s du ing
imes o con lic . The emale cha ac e s de elop a ious s a egies o su i al and esis ance,
om main aining cul u al adi ions o p o ec ing hei child en o e en ually inding ways o
speak abou hei expe iences. These s a egies e lec wha James Sco calls "weapons o he
weak"— o ms o esis ance a ailable o hose who lack o mal powe (Sco 29).
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Con empo a y Voices: Expanding he T auma Na a i e
Minoli Salgado's A Li le Dus on he Eyes
Minoli Salgado's A Li le Dus on he Eyes expands he auma na a i e by examining
women's agency wi hin con lic zones and he in e sec ion o domes ic and poli ical iolence.
The no el ollows Kumi, a young Sinhalese woman, as she na iga es ma iage, mo he hood, and
su i al du ing he heigh o he ci il wa .
Salgado's ea men o women's agency challenges ic imiza ion na a i es by showing how
women de elop sophis ica ed s a egies o su i al and esis ance wi hin se e ely cons ained
ci cums ances. Kumi's abili y o na iga e checkpoin s, p o ec he child en, and main ain
household ou ines demons a es wha James Sco calls "e e yday esis ance"— he sub le
ways subo dina ed g oups challenge powe s uc u es (Sco 42). He ac ions e eal how
su i al i sel becomes a o m o poli ical esis ance du ing imes o sys ema ic iolence.
The no el's explo a ion o domes ic iolence in e sec ing wi h poli ical iolence e eals how
pe sonal auma compounds collec i e auma in women's li es. Kumi's abusi e ma iage
c ea es wha Lau a B own e ms "insidious auma"—ongoing opp ession ha may be less
d ama ic han single auma ic e en s bu equally damaging in i s cumula i e e ec s (B own
89). Salgado shows how poli ical ins abili y can wo sen domes ic iolence by making women
mo e dependen on male p o ec ion while educing access o social suppo sys ems.
The concep o cul u al ansla ion eme ges as cen al o unde s anding how auma a ec s
immig an s and e ugees. When Kumi e en ually mig a es o England, she aces he challenge
o explaining he expe iences o people who lack he cul u al con ex o unde s and hem. He
a emp s o ansla e no jus language bu en i e amewo ks o meaning demons a e wha
Gaya i Spi ak calls he " iolence o ansla ion"— he way meaning is ine i ably los o
dis o ed in c oss-cul u al communica ion (Spi ak 179).
Salgado's na a i e echnique employs wha she calls "dus "—small, seemingly insigni ican
de ails ha accumula e o c ea e la ge pic u es o expe ience. This app oach mi o s how
auma o en mani es s h ough in usi e memo ies and senso y lashbacks a he han
cohe en na a i es, e lec ing cu en unde s anding o how auma ic expe iences a e
encoded in memo y.
Shehan Ka una ilaka's The Se en Moons o Maali Almeida
Shehan Ka una ilaka's The Se en Moons o Maali Almeida ep esen s a signi ican depa u e
om ea lie S i Lankan auma li e a u e h ough i s sa i ical app oach and explici
ep esen a ion o LGBTQ+ iden i y in pos -wa S i Lanka. The no el's supe na u al amewo k,
ollowing pho og aphe Maali Almeida as he na iga es he a e li e while ying o sol e his own
mu de , allows o inno a i e explo a ion o auma and memo y.
The no el's sa i ical one challenges wha Susan Son ag calls " he po nog aphy o pain"—
he way auma ic su e ing can become commodi ied and consumed by audiences emo ed
om he ac ual expe ience (Son ag 67). Ka una ilaka's humo se es no o minimize su e ing
bu o c ea e al e na i e amewo ks o p ocessing auma ha esis bo h sensa ionalism and
silence.
Maali's iden i y as a gay pho og aphe p o ides a unique pe spec i e on S i Lankan con lic ,
as his ma ginalized s a us allows him o documen iolence ha o he s canno o will no see.
His pho og aphs se e as wha Susan Son ag calls "g amma and, e en mo e impo an ly, an
e hics o seeing," p o iding e idence o sys ema ic iolence while challenging iewe s o
con on uncom o able u hs (Son ag 104).
The no el's ea men o dea h and a e li e as na a i e de ices e lec s b oade ques ions
abou memo y and o ge ing in pos -con lic socie ies. Maali's s uggles in he a e li e mi o
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he challenges aced by li ing auma su i o s who mus decide which memo ies o p ese e
and which o elease. The supe na u al amewo k allows Ka una ilaka o explo e hese
ques ions wi hou he cons ain s o ealism.
The ep esen a ion o LGBTQ+ iden i y in pos -wa S i Lanka b eaks new g ound in S i
Lankan li e a u e by e using o p esen sexual mino i ies as ei he ic ims o he oes. Maali's
complex, lawed cha ac e challenges bo h homophobic s e eo ypes and idealized
ep esen a ions o ma ginalized communi ies, c ea ing wha José Muñoz calls
"disiden i ica ion"— he p ocess by which ma ginalized subjec s pe o m iden i y in ways ha
nei he assimila e o no s ic ly oppose dominan cul u e (Muñoz 97).
T auma, Healing, and Na a i e S a egy
The ques ion o how o ep esen auma ic expe ience in language poses pa icula
challenges o S i Lankan w i e s wo king ac oss mul iple linguis ic and cul u al con ex s. Many
o hese au ho s w i e in English while a emp ing o ep esen expe iences embedded in
Sinhala o Tamil cul u al con ex s, c ea ing wha Gaya i Spi ak calls " he iolence o
ansla ion" (Spi ak 179).
Mul ilingual auma exp ession appea s h oughou hese wo ks as cha ac e s swi ch
be ween languages when discussing di e en aspec s o hei expe ience. In Sel adu ai's
"Funny Boy," he p o agonis 's g andmo he uses Tamil endea men s e en while speaking
English, sugges ing ha emo ional exp ession equi es he o iginal language o expe ience. This
mul ilingual app oach e lec s wha Glo ia Anzaldúa calls "linguis ic e o ism"— he way
dominan languages can colonize in ima e exp ession (Anzaldúa 89).
Silence eme ges as bo h symp om and s a egy in hese na a i es. Cha ac e s o en canno
o will no speak di ec ly abou auma ic expe iences, equi ing eade s o in e p e gaps and
omissions in hei accoun s. This na a i e silence e lec s wha Do i Laub iden i ies as auma's
esis ance o wi ness— he way ex eme expe iences exceed he capaci y o language and
ep esen a ion (Laub 91). Howe e , au ho s also show how silence can be a o m o p o ec ion,
pa icula ly o ma ginalized communi ies who ace addi ional pe secu ion i hei expe iences
become public.
Me apho and symbolism p o ide c ucial ools o ep esen ing expe iences ha esis
di ec desc ip ion. Ondaa je's a chaeological image y, Guneseke a's en i onmen al me apho s,
and Tea ne's a is ic symbols all se e o ansla e auma ic expe ience in o o ms ha can be
sha ed and unde s ood wi hou equi ing li e al ep esen a ion o iolence.
F agmen ed s o y elling eme ges as pe haps he mos common echnique o ep esen ing
auma in hese wo ks. Linea na a i e assumes con inui y o expe ience and iden i y ha
auma dis up s, equi ing au ho s o de elop al e na i e s uc u al app oaches. Ondaa je's
jumping be ween di e en ime pe iods and pe spec i es in "Anil's Ghos " mi o s wha Ca hy
Ca u h calls auma's " empo al dis up ion"— he way auma ic e en s esis in eg a ion in o
no mal ch onological unde s anding (Ca u h 153).
Mul iple pe spec i es allow au ho s o show how he same e en s a ec di e en cha ac e s
in a ious ways, challenging singula na a i es abou e hnic con lic . Munawee a's use o
pa allel na a i es in "Island o a Thousand Mi o s" demons a es how bo h Sinhalese and
Tamil amilies expe ience loss and displacemen , esis ing na ionalis na a i es ha demonize
e hnic o he s.
Tempo al dis up ion appea s h oughou hese wo ks as pas and p esen collapse in o each
o he h ough lashbacks, in usi e memo ies, and epe i i e pa e ns. This na a i e echnique
e lec s cu en unde s anding o how auma a ec s memo y and consciousness, c ea ing wha
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Ann C e ko ich calls " auma ime"— he dis up ion o linea empo ali y ha makes healing
di icul (C e ko ich 156).
These au ho s p esen a ious models o indi idual and collec i e healing om auma,
hough hey gene ally esis simple eco e y na a i es ha would minimize he ongoing e ec s
o auma ic expe ience. A and s o y elling eme ge as c ucial ools o p ocessing auma,
allowing su i o s o c ea e meaning om expe iences ha ini ially o e whelmed hei
capaci y o unde s anding.
Communi y suppo appea s essen ial o healing in hese na a i es, challenging Wes e n
emphasis on indi idual he apy and eco e y. Cha ac e s who success ully in eg a e hei
auma ic expe iences ypically ecei e suppo om amilies, iends, o a is ic communi ies
ha p o ide bo h p ac ical assis ance and emo ional alida ion.
The hema ics o econcilia ion appea s mos explici ly in hose wo ks ha deal di ec ly wi h
e hnic con lic (al hough au ho s ypically e ain om call o solida i y and o gi eness ha
a e e y simplis ic), bu ins ead ocus on o he mo e modes objec i es, such as ecognizing
di e en ways o seeing, and b eaking cycles o e enge and e alia ion.
Common Themes Ac oss Au ho s
Al hough hese S i Lankan w i e s employ di e en echniques and p o ide a ied
emphases, hey all sha e some sha ed conce ns which e lec la ge ends in auma li e a u e.
Displacemen and diaspo a is a conce n o nea ly all o hei cha ac e s, whe he due o in e nal
displacemen du ing imes o con lic , o in e na ional mig a ion la e on. This geog aphic
disloca ion exace ba es psychological auma h ough he e y se e ed ies o place o
communi y ha migh p o ide some healing.
These wo ks all clea ly show in e gene a ional auma ansmission in key ins ances, as
pa en s a emp o p o ec hei child en om no jus eal iolence, bu also auma ic
knowledge. The age-old auma dilemma o how much o ell he nex gene a ion abou p e ious
su e ing is s ill p esen o auma ized indi iduals, e en in places wi h an ongoing h ea o
con lic o communi y sa e y.
Iden i y agmen a ion is ep esen ed, no only as he symp om o auma, bu also as an
adap i e esponse. We see cha ac e s g appling o main ain a cohe en sense o sel in he wake
o o e whelming expe iences, bu agmen a ion also p o ides adap abili y and su i al
po en ial ha mo e igid senses o sel do no .
Con ibu ion o Global T auma Li e a u e
S i Lankan ic ion makes a numbe o o iginal con ibu ions o he global discou se o
auma, all o which ex end ou unde s anding o wha auma ic expe ience looks like in pos -
colonial si ua ions. The conside a ion o auma as collec i e ins ead o indi idual, o example,
is a signi ican challenge o he indi idual pa hology and eco e y om auma emphasized in
Wes e n auma heo ies, a o ding a iew in o he ways en i e communi ies a e ende ed
auma ized h ough a acks on hei ag eed upon belie s and p ac ices. This emphasis on he
collec i e can o en c ea e ambigui y o he poli ical na u e o wi nessing and he ole o he
wi ness, especially when coupled wi h he conside a ion o he in e sec ion o e hnic con lic
wi h ques ions o gende and sexuali y. The e o e, he mul i-dimensional aspec o auma as
wi nessed in S i Lankan ic ion u he builds upon he bu geoning schola ly in e es in he
in e play be ween hese di e en o ms o ma ginaliza ion and how hey coalesce (o mix)
oge he du ing imes o c isis and c isis eco e y and esilience wo k. The explo a ion o
en i onmen al auma in S i Lankan ic ion, such as Guneseke a's “Ree ”, ex ends auma
s udies o include des uc ion o na u al and cul u al ecosys ems in addi ion o human
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expe ience, which illus a es a consciousness o how poli ical iolence can ex end ou wa d in o
ecological sys ems h ough poli ical iolence.
Conclusion
This analysis shows how con empo a y S i Lankan au ho s ha e de eloped new app oaches
o ep esen ing auma ic expe ience which expands ou unde s anding o auma and
pos colonial li e a u e. These au ho s a e e aming auma discou se as a discou se abou
collec i e auma, showing ha communi ies, as well as indi iduals, su e auma when hei
undamen al belie s and p ac ices a e challenged and iola ed.
The in e sec ion o pe sonal and poli ical auma a ises as a se ious conce n in hese wo ks,
as hese au ho s illus a e he u h ha indi idual auma canno be sepa a ed om o he
symp oms o s uc u al iolence and opp ession. In so doing, hey challenge auma heo y's
dominan ocus on indi idual psycho-pa hology and demons a e ha pe sonal healing may
in ol e a collec i e con on a ion o he sys emic causes o su e ing.
The ole o li e a u e in collec i e healing is a icula ed in hese wo ks as au ho s show
cha ac e s using s o y elling, a , and cul u al memo y o p ocess auma ic expe iences and
ind meaning in su e ing. Ye , mos o he au ho s shy away om o e ly simplis ic na a i es o
eco e y, showing ha healing may in ol e mo e o a p ocess o ongoing, pa ial, and equi ing
sus ained communi y suppo .
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