Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the role of migrant women and sexual and gender minorities in protest movements in Lebanon (2019) and Sri Lanka (2022). It explores these groups' strategies and analyses how they have negotiated relations with other civil society groups involved in the protest movements.

Paper long abstract:

Economic and political crises have reverberated across the Global South in recent years, giving rise to waves of non-violent protests. Among the most impactful globally have been the protest movements in Lebanon (2019) and Sri Lanka (2022). In both countries, protests sought to transform political systems and had profound effects on the political landscape, leading to the resignation of the President (in Sri Lanka) and the Prime Minister (in Lebanon). Both protests emerged during protracted post-war transitions, characterised by sustained periods of political unsettlement, growing concerns about corruption, the cost of living, and the deterioration of public services.

This paper will investigate public responses to the intense economic and political crises that have enveloped Lebanon and Sri Lanka since 2019. Migrant women and sexual and gender minorities have been amongst the worst affected groups and have faced a double marginalisation: neglected by government and side-lined by protest movements. In response to these challenging conditions, these groups have mobilised in new ways in pursuit of social justice. This paper draws on comparative research conducted in Lebanon and Sri Lanka and has three main aims: (1) to explore how crises have been experienced by some of the most marginalised groups in both societies (with a particular focus on migrant women and sexual and gender minorities), (2) to examine the strategies employed by these groups to achieve their goals, and (3) to examine how these groups have negotiated relations with other civil society organisations and activist groups involved in the protest movements.