Crystalising Marginalisation of Urban Watta Dwellers: A Study Based on Matiwatta in “Angulana”

Abstract

The global COVID-19 epidemic had an impact on every social, political, economic, and cultural area. It wasn't only a healthcare catastrophe; its ramifications were multifaceted. In Sri Lanka, urban watta (slum) inhabitants were also included. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact. They are a marginalized community. When it came to following new healthcare procedures, there were a few issues. The selected research problem was "how urban slum / watta people were marginalized while crystallizing their social exclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka" this research. The major goal of this study was to determine the elements that contributed to urban watta dwellers' social marginalization and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. This study used a Case Study research design and was conducted as qualitative research. The research region was Matiwatta Slum in Angulana South Grama Niladhari Division, and data was obtained using the snowball sampling method and Purposive sampling method. For the primary data collection, twenty respondents were recruited, and in-depth interviews were done. The thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data. Even before the COVID-19 lockdown phase, urban watta inhabitants were a marginalized community, according to the research findings. New lockdown experiences, encountered social, economic, and cultural issues, the role of non-slum dwellers and political agencies, issues of adhering to new healthcare practices, and reshaping social identity were some of the identified influential factors that determined the social exclusion and marginalization of urban watta dwellers during the lockdown period. In conclusion, these causes contributed to the worsening of social exclusion and marginalization, and as a result, watta residents' marginalization and social exclusion crystallized during the COVID-19 period, as a marginalized community.