"I Can Hear Her Breathing…": Second-Generation Sri Lankan Tamil Womyn Reflect on the 2009 Toronto Tamil Protests

Abstract

Public activism in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora was demonstrated by the mass protests held in Toronto in 2009, in the months leading to the end of civil war Sri Lanka. Following the protests, research focusing on increased transnational participation, public performance of Tamil identities, and personal post-war feelings has emerged. Still, very little attention has been given to self-identified womyn’s narratives and reflections. This paper and film focus on the experiences of second-generation Sri Lankan Tamil womyn , speaking specifically to gendered diasporic imaginations, subjectivities, and possible transformations produced through participation or non-participation in the 2009 protests. It argues how both protest and silence, in a transnational context, work to disrupt narratives of nationhood suggested by Canada, Sri Lanka, and the former de-facto state of Tamil Eelam.