title: Peace, justice and disabled women's advocacy: Tamil women with disabilities in rural post-conflict Sri Lanka.
abstract: This article draws on grounded qualitative research with rural Tamil women who acquired a disability during the civil war in Sri Lanka and conceptualizes an intersectionality-peace framework. Three main themes were developed from the interviews: narratives of conflict, survival outcomes of social assistance and mobilization of cross-ethnic relationships. With the support of a local women's disability advocacy organization, Tamil women with disabilities were enabled to overcome social stigma and claim a positive identity as women with disabilities. The organization's focus on realizing disability rights created new opportunities for these highly marginalized rural women. The women were also supported to form cross-ethnic relationships with women who similarly faced multiple oppressions. These relationships transformed the women into 'agents of peace', using their newfound disability identity to foster cross-ethnic dialogue and create safe spaces in the post-conflict context.
authors.affiliation: a School of Historical and Philosophical Studies , University of Melbourne , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Niro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kandasamy
authors.affiliation: b Institute For Culture and Society , Western Sydney University , Sydney , Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soldatic
authors.affiliation: c Faculty of Law , University of Colombo , Colombo , Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Dinesha
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Samararatne
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D012424:Rural Population; D012935:Social Justice; D013188:Sri Lanka; D017741:Survivors; D014754:Violence; D014857:Warfare
keywords: Intersectionality; Sri Lanka; peace studies; post-armed conflict; rural; women with disabilities