Bridging troubled waters?
This research, which looks at everyday forms of inter-ethnic interaction in a context of violent conflict, took place between 2003 and 2008 in a part of the war zone in eastern Sri Lanka. After an elaborate study of the social geography, history, social complexity and the chronology of violence in the area three case studies are described: farmers who together keep an irrigation scheme functioning, inter-ethnic interaction in situations of acute tensions and violence, and mixed-ethnic marriages. What becomes clear is that, despite the overwhelming presence of remembered, actual and potential violence, there is a lot more inter-ethnic interaction than one would expect. People apply a kind of ‘swapping trick’, and replace ethnic difference by similarity according to another category of identification (such as caste, class, religion, and so on). This underscores that ethnic conflict can never be understood by only looking at ethnicity; social complexity must be taken into account. Another important aspect of everyday inter-ethnic interaction in a context of conflict is that it can only exist when it is not noticed by those who guard the ethnic boundaries (and who often have access to means of violence to punish those engaging in boundary-crossing behaviour), or if it is irrelevant to them. Inter-ethnic interaction and peacebuilding can therefore only be stimulated by bringing people together around everyday themes, and not around ethnicity.
Thesis: Bridging troubled waters? Everyday inter-ethnic interaction in a context of violent conflict in Kottiyar Pattu, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka