Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Voices From Former War Zones


This book is an effort at understanding the post-war reconciliation process as experienced by the different communities in the war affected villages in the North and East of Sri Lanka. Since May 2009, “reconciliation” has been an abiding concern for all concerned with the future trajectory of post-war Sri Lanka. “Reconciliation” is defined, understood and constructed in diverse ways by the stakeholders involved. Of these actors, the State, the Tamil National Alliance and the International Community seem to agree on reconciliation on principle but, they differ significantly and at times irreconcilably on its substantive meaning. This further complicates an already complicated situation.

In this context, this book attempts to give voice to the voiceless by contributing to the burgeoning discourse on reconciliation in Sri Lanka. This study used a pluralist research methodology comprising a series of in-depth interviews and dialogue sessions with communities in the former war zones combined with a survey of 600 respondents in 6 districts in the North and East. The findings of the study are presented in six chapters in order to capture the multi-dimensional nature of reconciliation on the ground. The analysis in this book has been informed by and will inform the work of scholars who, through their rigorous and dedicated scholarly interventions, strive to build a just and democratic society in Sri Lanka.

Authors : Minna Thaheer
Pradeep Peiris
Kasun Pathiraja