Volume IV Special Issue VIII October 2024

Name of Author : B. Vivilia Arivu Mani

Title of the paper : The Tamil Diaspora: Migration, Identity, And Community Formation - A Study on Shyam Selvadurais Novel The Funny Boy

Abstract: The Tamil diaspora represents a complex and multifaceted phenomenon characterized by migration, identity formation, and community building. This paper explores these themes through a study of Shyam Selvadurais novel The Funny Boy 1994, which offers a poignant depiction of the Tamil experience during the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. The novel follows the protagonist, Arjie Chelvaratnam, a young Tamil boy growing up in Colombo during the tumultuous period leading up to the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom known as Black July. Through Arjies narrative, Selvadurai vividly portrays the challenges of negotiating multiple identities—ethnic, cultural, and sexual—within a society marked by deep ethnic divisions and rising violence. This study examines how the novel reflects the broader dynamics of the Tamil diaspora, particularly the themes of displacement and the search for belonging. It explores the intersectionality of Arjies Tamil identity with his queer identity, highlighting how the experience of being a sexual minority further complicates his sense of self within both the Tamil community and the larger Sri Lankan society. Arjies eventual migration to Canada, a common destination for Tamil refugees, underscores the global nature of the Tamil diaspora and the formation of new diasporic communities. Through an analysis of The Funny Boy, this paper addresses how diaspora literature serves as a medium for articulating the trauma of forced migration and the complexities of diasporic identity. It argues that Selvadurais work not only depicts the immediate impacts of conflict and displacement but also contributes to a broader understanding of the long-term processes of identity negotiation and community formation among Tamil migrants. By engaging with themes of memory, loss, and adaptation, the novel provides a lens through which to examine the ongoing impact of the Sri Lankan civil war on the Tamil diaspora and how diasporic subjects navigate their identities in the face of both personal and collective histories of trauma.

Keywords : Tamil diaspora, Migration, Identity Formation, Ethnic, Cultural, Sri Lanka, Tamil Migrants, Civil War

DOI :

Page Number : 139-142