In 1505, the Portuguese colonized the island and divided it into seven warring factions. Since the sixteenth century, Sri Lanka has been an object of European desire and possession. Historical Background and the Rise of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil EelamĪs a consequence of European imperialism and internal ethnic fragmentation, Sri Lanka has experienced a relentless string of conflicts over the reclamation of its land. While the recruitment of female combatants by the LTTE has been perceived by many to be an act of victimization by the male leaders of the conflict, I believe that this new role for women serves as a potential means of self-empowerment through defying societal, socio-cultural norms. Finally, the conclusion of the paper looks at ex-LTTE female fighters in today’s Tamil society. I will examine how female sentiments were manifested in either a positive, self-empowering light, or a negative, victimized manner. Next, Part IV focuses on the subsequent effects that mobilization of female combatants had on society and, more importantly, on the women involved in the conflict. Part III outlines the LTTE’s role in the war, and how it transformed socio-cultural norms in Sri Lanka by mobilizing Tamil women to fight. In order to better understand the roots of the conflict between the Tamil and Sinhalese peoples of Sri Lanka, Section II first provides a brief history of the Sri Lankan Civil War, leading up to the rise of the LTTE during the 1983 to 2009 time period. My analysis is based on many sources that offer first-hand knowledge of, and interviews with, female LTTE fighters. I analyze the gendered reconstruction of Tamil women in war to determine whether their participation in violence has altered their selfperception and, to a lesser extent, society’s view of female combatants. This paper explores the gendered dimensions of ethnic conflict, with a focus on the role that women have played in the LTTE. The question remains, however, whether the female LTTE combatants have been manipulated into becoming victims of war by the male-dominated insurgency, or whether they have become agents of their own empowerment through their participation in the conflict. Looking back at the 26-year-long battle between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan state, one can see that women do indeed play a vital role in times of violent conflict. 1 As a result of this “gendered reconstruction of womanhood,” women are no longer constrained to the household during times of war, but instead, frequently venture out into the battlefields, sideby- side with their male combatant counterparts.
In the struggle for the anticipated state of Tamil Eelam, the socio-cultural role of women underwent, and continues to undergo, a radical transformation. Since the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 1983, Tamil women have occupied a key role in the conflict.
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