Paper short abstract:

This article explores the longer-term patterns of rule in Sri Lanka’s eastern periphery. The separatist war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government propelled different forms of rule and contested sovereignty. The article’s narrative ties together different trajectories: the penetration of the (post)colonial state in the periphery, the coming of age of the insurgent movement, and that of ground level realities along the east coast.

Paper long abstract:

Building on previous research on the state, contested rule, and 'governable orders' in Sri Lanka's war zone (Korf, 2006; Korf et al. 2010; Klem forthcoming), this article explores the longer-term patterns of rule in Sri Lanka's eastern periphery. The separatist war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government propelled different forms of rule and contested sovereignty. Caution is warranted in interpreting the violent condition during the war years as special or opposite to earlier or later 'peacetime' years. Firstly, there were dramatic differences in the patterns of rule and clash between the two state projects throughout different phases of the war. Secondly, a longitudinal perspective reminds us that there are important continuities, not just with the immediate post-war environment, but also with state presence and rule in colonial and post-colonial periods. The article's narrative ties together different trajectories: the penetration of the (post)colonial state in the periphery, the coming of age of the insurgent movement, and that of ground level realities along the east coast. In doing so, it steers away from a totalising interpretation of Sri Lanka's conflict and highlights the contingent, negotiated evolvement of competing state projects struggling over sovereign control and legitimacy.