Between victim and agent : literary representations of the Sri Lankan female militant

Name: Asokan, Archana Shani, 1994-

LCSH: Women in the Armed Forces -- Sri Lanka

LCSH: Victims in literature.

Abstract: This thesis explored female militants and their simultaneous realities of victim and agent as represented in Sri Lankan post-conflict literature by critically analysing a selection of four such works: two works of fiction, one biography and one autobiography. The discourse on the Sri Lankan ethno-nationalist conflict has largely followed a gender binary, while men are considered the agents of violence and women are essentialised to being victims. However, the true involvement of women in the conflict is far more nuanced and complicated. Women have played a significant role in the Sri Lankan ethno-nationalist conflict, taking on the roles ranging from militants to activists, among others. Their roles, experiences, and struggles are underrepresented in mainstream discourse, therein denying their socio-political agency. The female militant in particular, is an example of a woman who is more than a victim of the conflict; her simultaneous realities of being a perpetrator of violence and a captive to the ethnonational struggle and the patriarchal society within which it takes place, highlights her ambivalent empowerment. This position, though relatively new to mainstream conflict discourse, has been discussed in post-conflict literature such as fiction and biographies. This medium has become a platform for authors to engage with and try to make sense of the conflict in terms of citizenship, national identity and gender, and challenge or subvert hegemonic representations of the war, nation and nationality, especially in terms of the gender binary this discourse tends to follow. Implication of the Thesis: The analysis of post-conflict literature in this thesis shows that this medium of expression can, and has been used to highlight the lived experiences of female militants and the ambivalence of the empowerment they experience in this role. Further, this research highlights the idea that female militants cannot be treated as a homogenous group, as they each have their own unique motivations and experiences during the conflict. Thus, this thesis contributes to the discourse on representation in the context of female militants, and the argument that where mainstream national, political and media discourse has excluded them, alternate mediums for expression like post-conflict literature give female militants the space and voice they have otherwise been denied.

Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center

Address: NAKHONPATHOM

Email: liwww@mahidol.ac.th

Name: Barry, Coeli

Role: Thesis Advisors

Name: Edwin, Shirin E.

Role: Thesis Advisors

Created: 2021

Issued: 2026-07-27

วิทยานิพนธ์/Thesis

application/pdf

eng

DegreeName: Master of Arts

Level: Master's Degree

Descipline: Human Rights

Grantor: Mahidol University

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