What does this research mean for the field?

Contextual understandings of masculinity and wider structures of precarity and violence render the grief and labor of fathers of the disappeared in Northern Sri Lanka less visible, despite their profound experiences of ambiguous loss and paternal care. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.ESTABLISHES_NEW_DIRECTION.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Examine the lived experiences, coping mechanisms, and socio-political visibility of fathers facing state-enforced disappearances of their children in Northern Sri Lanka.

August 28, 2026The International Journal of Human RightsOpen Access

‘I Couldn’t Take a Day to Grieve’: fatherhood and state enforced disappearances in Northern Sri Lanka

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Authors

RFRebekka Friedman DMDiana Milena Florez Muñoz

Discussion

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Overview

Qualitative study reveals ambiguous loss and marginalized paternal grief in fathers of the disappeared, highlighting tensions between masculine duty and protest visibility.

Key Points

Examine the lived experiences, coping mechanisms, and socio-political visibility of fathers facing state-enforced disappearances of their children in Northern Sri Lanka.
Conducted a qualitative investigation analyzing the accounts of fathers of disappeared youth in Northern Sri Lanka.
Evaluated the psychological and social consequences of forced familial separation using frameworks of ambiguous loss and masculine caregiving.
Situated paternal experiences within the historical context of Sri Lanka's militarisation, violence, and activist protest movements.
Fathers experience unresolved ambiguous loss compounded by cultural expectations of masculinity that compel them to prioritize breadwinning over public mourning.
Men encounter significant social isolation and physical risks, while their grief, domestic caregiving, and search efforts remain largely hidden compared to maternal activism.
Paternal agency and emotional coping are constrained by enduring state violence, military surveillance, and pervasive socio-economic precarity.

Cite This Study

Friedman et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a91466cd15324a1df3aa075 https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2026.2711671

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August 28, 2026The International Journal of Human RightsOpen Access

‘I Couldn’t Take a Day to Grieve’: fatherhood and state enforced disappearances in Northern Sri Lanka

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

RFRebekka Friedman DMDiana Milena Florez Muñoz

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Qualitative study reveals ambiguous loss and marginalized paternal grief in fathers of the disappeared, highlighting tensions between masculine duty and protest visibility.

Key Points

Examine the lived experiences, coping mechanisms, and socio-political visibility of fathers facing state-enforced disappearances of their children in Northern Sri Lanka.
Conducted a qualitative investigation analyzing the accounts of fathers of disappeared youth in Northern Sri Lanka.
Evaluated the psychological and social consequences of forced familial separation using frameworks of ambiguous loss and masculine caregiving.
Situated paternal experiences within the historical context of Sri Lanka's militarisation, violence, and activist protest movements.
Fathers experience unresolved ambiguous loss compounded by cultural expectations of masculinity that compel them to prioritize breadwinning over public mourning.
Men encounter significant social isolation and physical risks, while their grief, domestic caregiving, and search efforts remain largely hidden compared to maternal activism.
Paternal agency and emotional coping are constrained by enduring state violence, military surveillance, and pervasive socio-economic precarity.

Cite This Study

Friedman et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a91466cd15324a1df3aa075 https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2026.2711671

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