The aim of this study is to describe the perception of whiteness among Sri Lankan women. An article published by the Sunday Leader show that there is a long tradition among women in Sri Lanka to use beauty products, such as bleaching creams to enhance facial lightening. Over 33 000 bleaching products are sold per year in Sri Lanka.  Parameswaran and Cardoza conclude that Sri Lankan women with lighter skin tone are regarded as more beautiful and attractive than those with dark skin. Furthermore, fair skin is associated with power, authority and high privilege.   This study is based on individual; face-to-face interviews with six women between ages 19-30 living in Sri Lanka. The results from the interview have been compared with Dyer’s theory of whiteness and Ahmed’s theory about lived experience of whiteness. The results of this study showed that the interviewed women have been introduced to the whiteness norm during childhood by their parents and relatives. Today, these women are still affected by the whiteness norm and it has shown to be unavoidable to live in the Sri Lankan society without relating to it.

My thesis explores a violent episode which took place in a Sinhala village in Sri Lanka. This episode involved a series of events which unfolded between November 1989-January 1990, when 22 schoolboys were abducted from their homes, tortured and killed by personnel based at a neighbouring army camp. This episode took place in the wake of a popular armed upnsmg. Yet an Intelligence investigation conducted by the regime-in-power in 1991 exonerated all the boys from any complicity in insurgent activity. Though Sri Lanka has seen collective violence ranging from inter-ethnic to class-based to gender-specific, in this event, both victims and perpetrators share the same Sinhala-Buddhist ethnic, linguistic and religious ethos and male gender. Thus local constructions of masculinities within Sinhala society become increasingly pivotal; it was not their politics, I argue, but their demeanour as young boys which was central to their fate. This involves the posture of deference (lajja-bhavu or the 'fear of being [publicly] shamed') that adolescent offspring in Sinhala society almost involuntarily assume vis-a-vis parents, older sibling and other figures of authority. Bodily demeanour, remarks Bourdieu, exemplifies social class and gender identity (1977; 1984). But I would argue that in the South Asian context demeanours of deference do not always imply hierarchichal relationships of power, though sometimes of course they may. They remain a courtesy which retains the fiction of precedence. Withdrawal of such deference creates anxiety and unvoiced rage. But with the incursions of the global into everyday life, local demeanours of self-hood are pervaded by the effects of the tabloid/electronic media, mass education, discourses on political rights etc. and fraught with new ambiguities. And even more than a withdrawal of deference, such ambiguity provokes unease. But since - much of the time - demeanour is involuntary, the young actor may not always perceive that his demeanour is now more charged, and he may not grasp the enormity of the emotions this occasions. It is in the public domain that such withdrawal/ambiguity is most clearly seen to undermine the role of it's receiver, whose outrage becomes to that extent culturally validated. This creates a space for the performative acting out of such emotions. The act or violence now becomes an attempt to restore meaning/significance to the life of the actor. seen to have been in some way untenably diminished by the withdrawal of deference.

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This thesis focuses on the course through which romantic relationships gain meaning in the lives of students at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Drawing from research conducted with some students from the university in 2007/08, the thesis illustrates the process of investing in relationships, arguing that romantic relationships feature significantly in their imagination of 'a life that is worthy of living.' The story that is related in this thesis demonstrates that, in the lives of the research participants, romantic relationships provide a cocoon for self-development. Arising out of a need that they described as youthful, the research participants pointed out that romantic relationships are all but a passing phase. While providing a space in which one could fulfil their youthful desires, romantic relationships became a part of the larger plan of life by paving the way for the birth of 'real' love. Being a king of love that lasts, real love provides a formidable base for marital bonds. The stories the search participants told of their love lives suggested that 'real loves' are born when one invests oneself in it, pouring in time, effort, trust and commitment. It is the investment of trust and commitment that makes these bonds last, thus making it a kind of a bond on which a successful marriage could be founded. Investing in building trust and commitment is likened to investing oneself in the relationship, because in doing so, the research participants pointed out that they emerge as men and women of particular natures. The investment of oneself in the relationship is a process that revolves around giving and taking. Drawing out three aspects through which the research participants embedded themselves in romantic relationships, the thesis highlights the relational aspect of self, pointing out that one's life's worthiness could be tied to the people who are around them.

Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

Thesis advisor: Usha Tummala-Narra / Women who experience sexual violence are more likely to be diagnosed with a depressive, anxiety, trauma-related or substance use disorder than women who do not experience sexual violence (Kendler et al., 2000; Walsh et al., 2012). The negative mental health sequelae that are associated with experiences of sexual violence are related to the types of responses survivors receive from others (Carlson et al., 2002; Littleton, 2010). These responses are informed by attitudes towards sexual violence. Extant literature on Sri Lankan immigrant populations indicates that cultural and contextual factors interface to shape attitudes towards violence. Much of this research, however, has focused on domestic violence in general as opposed to sexual violence in particular. Thus, little is known about how culture and context interact to inform attitudes towards sexual violence in the Sri Lankan community in the United States. A qualitative methodology, guided by an ecological framework and South Asian feminist lens, was used to examine attitudes towards sexual violence among Sri Lankan immigrants in the United States. Participants consisted of 14 first-generation Sri Lankan immigrants. In semi-structured interviews, participants explicated 1) the cultural values and socialization patterns that they were exposed to in Sri Lanka, 2) their experiences of navigating Sri Lankan cultural values and socialization patterns in the United States, and 3) how cultural and contextual factors from pre- and post-migration contexts have interacted to inform views on sexual violence. The findings of the present study revealed that patriarchal socialization regarding gender roles, sex, and sexuality in Sri Lanka facilitates silence and stigmatization around sexual violence among Sri Lankans. The negotiation of these values within the post-migration context contributed to more progressive views on sexual violence. Participants did not support the presence of silence regarding sexual violence and, instead, encouraged survivors of sexual violence to seek help. They also recommended that survivors receive support from multiple sources (e.g., family, community, legal system). Implications for clinical practice, community level interventions and research are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Graduation date: 2002

The debate regarding the problems faced by Sri Lankan women migrating abroad for employment is not a very recent, but a rather protracted one. For this reason it becomes even more interesting to study. When comparing current articles and research with equivalent work performed during the 1990’s one immediately discovers that the same problems exist and are still being reported. This in spite of massive reformations in policies by the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment and the implementation of other, non-state bound organisations. This study aims at examining the reasons behind the absence of apparent improvement regarding migrating women’s situation. By looking at criticism stated during the 1990’s and suggested improvements; and comparing them to current implementations; certain factors emerges as more important in contributing to the problem than others. Qualitative interviews with Sri Lankan women whom recently have worked abroad and returned home have been conducted, so as to get an understanding of which policies that are truly implemented and which are merely paper decorations today. This study shows that bilateral agreements are of immense importance in the efforts of protecting migrating workers’ rights. It further highlights the lack of communication and cooperation within and between Sri Lankan organisations in dealing with the issue.

Diss.--München, 1996. / Bibliogr. p. 303-330. Index.