On writing Ummath , exile, and reimagining community: In conversation with Sharmila Seyyid

This interview with Sri Lankan writer, journalist, and activist Sharmila Seyyid explores the creative and socio-political dimensions of her 2014 novel Ummath, a work that challenges the predominant discourses surrounding reconciliation in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war by highlighting the minoritized and gendered experiences of Tamil and Muslim women. Seyyid stresses fiction’s role in resisting institutionalized narratives by reflecting on resilience, and critical civility in a nation divided by ethnic conflict. The interview draws attention to the novel’s depiction of ex-LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) women, the contested terrain of Muslim women’s identity in the war’s aftermath, and the author’s own trauma borne of activism and eventual exile. It provides an account of Seyyid’s political engagements as both writer and activist. Situating Ummath simultaneously as resistance and testimony, the conversation offers a critical perspective on the lingering consequences of the 26-year long war.