Birds of Freedom?

Perspectives on Female Emancipation and Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

While some scholars argue that recent wars have thrust women into new roles, enabling them to transform their social situations, identities and destinies, others question whether females achieve ‘emancipation’ through active participation in warfare…

Essay by By Kim Jordan and Myriam Denov, Journal of International Women’s Studies, Massachusetts, Vol. 9 #1 November 2007

Birds of Freedom – Perspectives of Female Emancipation and Sri Lanka’s LTTE

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Further reading:

  1. Sri Lanka’s Genocidal War -’95 to ’01
  2. Revisiting the Horror in Sri Lanka
  3. Shri Yashwant Sinha’s Lok Sabha Speech on the Plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka

No Responses to “Birds of Freedom?”

  1. N Malathy

    In the West, Women’s roles in the public space received a massive push because women were forced to come out of their private spaces during WW2. Why do they now deny the same to the women in the rest of the world. War may not be the preferred method of empowerment of women, however, it can be a side effect because war can cause the breakdown of existing powerful institutions.

    That is what took place under LTTE and under many other war situations. “Researchers” in the West expend a lot of energy proving why this is not the case. Are they worried about Third World women taking to arms leading to the loss of their (Western) world dominance.

    N Malathy

  2. Angela

    I think it has to do with a terrorist label washing on any dialogue about the LTTE within the international community, even perceivable positive effects from resistance on society in terms of social issues and institutions. In western countries and even authors from countries aligned with Sri Lanka on an anti-resistance campaign whenever a pundit or “acclaimed” researcher does a piece or commentary on the struggle and the group itself, they make sure to include rhetoric to immediately discredit the group and ultimately the struggle itself as a bunch of terrorist activity as if in the same nature and motivation as islamic terrorists, though the tactics are the only things that may show similarity but even then it doesn’t-as the struggle is now almost completely synonymous with the group though that is not the case. With that being said, anything goes once the label “terrorist” has made the headlines, so any information about the struggle and analyses always makes a point to refute any credibility to social reform or any complex issues within the context of war. Objectivity and independence is hard to come across for journalists and researchers on topics such as resistance and terrorist-tactic groups due to influence of political bias and pressure. Though globalization and geopoltics play big roles themselves, and perhaps you’re right-countries trying to keep tabs on others through these strategic political stances (why no country supports Tamil Eelam).