ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author addresses what it means to be Up-country Tamil in Sri Lanka and how membership of imagined cultural community is reckoned. After an overview of the various ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, he examines the names that have been historically applied to Up-country Tamils, the role of the census in both clarifying and blurring ethnic identities, and the rise of identification as Up-country Tamil. The author focuses on archival research of colonial-era publications written by planters and government officials for much of his analysis, he presents ethnographic support for his discussion of contemporary senses of identity and community. The author offers a brief history of colonial and independent Sri Lanka through the lenses of ethnicity, agency and diaspora, showing how Up-country Tamils’ struggles for identity and recognition have been particularly Sri Lankan efforts.
