Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The Sri Lankan Civil War that lasted for almost three decades had its domestic, regional, and global ramifications. The end of the cessation movement has equally posed enormous challenges given the urgent need to provide immediate relief and rehabilitation for nearly 300,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and reintegration of 12,000 ex-LTTE cadres with civil society. Resolution of these issues has been argued to be nearly successful. However, the major challenge for the long term is building peace and harmony in the Sri Lankan Society. The civil war may have formally ended, but the root causes of the conflict still remain in society. Sri Lanka has experienced negative peace since 2009 i.e absence of war and violence, but little or no promotion of harmony and peace . The transition of the nature of the cause of the conflict from an ethnic identity one to satisfying ulterior political motives has only led to further marginalization of the resident Tamilian population. Rehabilitation measures taken by the government have been met with skepticism by the affected as they believe that domestic measures aren’t doing them proper justice. The paper explores how the concept of ethnic identity and the feeling of ethnic separatism play a vital role in the peace building process that is still underway in present day Sri Lanka. Further deliberations include how identity politics (employed in domestic politics) still play a role in the peace building process in the post conflict scenario; and whether its role has downscaled.