Located in the war-torn eastern province of Sri Lanka, this book
provides a rich ethnography of how Tamil-speaking communities in
Batticaloa live through and make sense of a violence that shapes
everyday life itself. The core of the book comes from the author's
two-year close interaction with a group of (mainly women) human rights
activists in the area. The book describes how the activists work in
clandestine, informal ways to support families whose loved ones have
been threatened, disappeared or killed and how they build networks of
trust within the context of everyday violence. As Sri Lanka faces up to
the enormity of the task of 'post-war reconciliation', this book aims to
create a wider conversation about grief, resistance and healing in the
context of violence and its long afterlife.