Centre for Just Peace and Democracy Mapping Tamil Transnational Politics: Past, Present and Future (original) (raw)

This paper attempts to map Tamil Transnational politics of the past, present and the future by outlining some key developments in Tamil transnational political activism since the struggle for the independent state of Tamil Eelam began. The military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009 resulted in several drastic changes in Tamil politics in Sri Lanka and the diaspora, one important change being the emergence of several factions in the Tamil polity in the Tamil homeland and in the Tamil Diaspora. Some of the key questions this paper attempts to address include: Is there a political divide between the diaspora and those in the “homeland”? What are the dynamics that animate Tamil transnational politics in the post May 2009 era? What are the main differences between Tamil transnational politics in the pre- and post- May 2009 era? What could be the future trends in Tamil Transnational politics? After providing a brief overview on theoretical perspectives of transnational practices and transnational political activism, this paper discusses Tamil transnational political activism from a perspective that questions the validity of the concept of long distance nationalism. The paper argues that Tamil political activism pre-May 2009 could be seen as transnational if the LTTE is viewed as a transnational political formation. Post-May 2009, the transnationalism of Tamil political activism is more obvious, and the paper focuses on political formations such as the TGTE, GTF and National Country Councils, and discusses the tensions around these political formations. The paper concludes by discussing three possible scenarios of Tamil transnational political activism in the future. Keywords: Tamil Transnational politics, LTTE, TGTE, GTF, National Country Councils, TNA