Description
Emerging literature in critical peace studies emphasizes the relevance of studying the mundane bodies and webs of relationships at micro-level to gain a deeper understanding of the range of actors and complexity of peace produced on the ground. To contribute at this juncture, I explore the bilingual, multi-ethnic theatre group Jana Karaliya’s practices of performing sustained everyday coexistence in Sri Lanka. Applying the relational peace framework by Söderström, Åkebo and Jarstad (2018), I discuss nuances of peace and tension that become visible at three levels of the group’s performative engagement: frontstage symbolic relational engagement with broader societal narratives (integration), backstage everyday interpersonal engagement within the group (intertwined strands of tension), and offstage relational engagement with those external to the group (transformation beyond group boundaries). The study draws from participant observation and interviews with Jana Karaliya’s Sinhala and Tamil members, exploring their relational engagement over the changing phases of the Sri Lankan conflict. Multiple and at times discrepant behaviours, attitudes, and ideas on peace and conflict characterize relations with, within and beyond the group. I argue that performing sustained everyday coexistence in a pluralist society can make a significant contribution towards building relational peace even when the process may not necessarily lead to a transformation of political difference.
