Country: Sri Lanka
Group: Paraiyar
Date Finalized: 3/20/2024
Team: Lacey Hurst (Lead), Madison Chester, David Hammerle, Evelyn Anello
Content Warning: violence, caste-based discrimination, human rights violations
Approximate Time Period: 1920-1970
In Sri Lanka, the Paraiyar are considered a part of the “untouchable” castes known as the Panchamar, a group that also includes the Nalavar and Pallar castes (Silva et al., 2009). The Panchamar are also sometimes referred to as Minority Tamils (Pfaffenberger, 1990).
Historically, the Vellalars, a high-ranking Tamil caste, have barred the Panchamar from wearing certain clothing, public transport access and entering temples, among other prohibitions (Silva et al., 2009). In the 1960s, Vellalar gangs would enforce these restrictions by burning Panchamar homes, poisoning their wells, beating them, and occasionally killing them (Pfaffenberger, 1990). In the 1970s, the rise of Tamil identity politics and calls for unity among Tamils in Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka lessened the violence between castes (Silva et al., 2009).
The data quality for this case is rated 1/3 because while credible sources have documented violence against the Panchamar castes, there is limited data on lethal violence specifically against the Paraiyar. The general terms Panchamar or Minority Tamil are used, and the Nalavars and Pallars are usually the only ones singled out by name in reference to lethal violence.
Sources
- Pfaffenberger, B. (1990). The Political Construction of Defensive Nationalism: The 1968 Temple-Entry Crisis in Northern Sri Lanka. The Journal of Asian Studies, 49(1), 78–96. https://doi.org/10.2307/2058434
- Silva, K., Sivapragasam, S., & Anges, P. (2009). Dynamics of Concealed Caste Discrimination, Social Exclusion and Protest in Sri Lanka Casteless or Caste-blind? International Dalit Solidarity Network Indian Institute of Dalit Studies Kumaran Book House. https://idsn.org/uploads/media/Casteless_or_Caste-blind_final_english_publication.pdf