Abstract:
This study addressed the commemoration of war victims and its impact on the
ethnic reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this research was to
explore the relationship between memories and personal, interpersonal, social,
and political reconciliation in post-conflict Sri Lanka. The general problem
statement of this study was, "War memories have a significant impact on the
process of post-war reconciliation in Sri Lanka.” Discussion of contemporary
essays revealed that memory remains a key factor in the conflict and a critical
issue that needs to be addressed by policy makers in a post-war reconciliation
process. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of war memories and
their impact on the post-war ethnic reconciliation process in Sri Lanka from the
perspective of war victims. The main objective of this research is to find out
whether the memories are constructed or natural. The study can be classified as
both a qualitative and quantitative research design, which is referred to as a
mixed research design. With this in mind, the researcher chose a rapid
ethnographic perspective for this study. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews
were used as the method of data collection. Quantitative data was crucial for the
analysis of living conditions before the war, during the war, and in the post-war
period. Therefore, a questionnaire survey was used as a quantitative data
collection method. Personal war memories become social memories or collective
memories, and finally the collective memories were influenced by the
reconciliation process in the post-war period in Sri Lanka. Memories have
impacted personal, interpersonal, and societal reconciliation and ultimately
political reconciliation in post-war Sri Lanka.
