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The scars of the Eelam War: Eroded trust, heightened ethnic identity, and political legacies in north-eastern Sri Lanka

Author

Listed:
  • Jia LI

    (Lecturer, Business School, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology)

  • Takahiro ITO

    (Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University)

  • Ramila USOOF-THOWFEEK

    (Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya)

  • Koji YAMAZAKI

    (Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University)

Abstract

This study explores the influence of the protracted 1983-2009 Sri Lankan civilconflict on social and political outcomes using original household survey data. Our regression analysis compares outcome variables of survey respondents who suffered from different degrees and types of war victimization during the civil conflict. By differentiating individual- and household-level war exposure, voluntary and involuntary military service experience, and family loss of soldiers and civilians, we evaluate the influence of a wide array of war-time experience on outcomes, like trust, ethnic identification, and political participation. We find that civil conflict undermined political trust, heightened inter- as well as intra-ethnic divisions, and left different political legacies among the Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka. Future policy interventions may need to target different groups of people in different ways based on their victimization and experience during the conflict.

Suggested Citation

  • Jia LI & Takahiro ITO & Ramila USOOF-THOWFEEK & Koji YAMAZAKI, 2021. "The scars of the Eelam War: Eroded trust, heightened ethnic identity, and political legacies in north-eastern Sri Lanka," GSICS Working Paper Series 38, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University.
    • Handle: RePEc:kcs:wpaper:38
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    File URL: http://www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp/gsics-publication/gwps/2021-38.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    civil conflict; trust; political participation; ethnic identification; Sri Lanka;
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