Destitution and displacement: unveiling the precariousness of homelessness and statelessness among uphill country Tamil repatriates in India

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article presents the conceptual framework of political and physical homelessness as embodiments of precarious homelessness, emanating from the palpable characteristics of housing. This physical housing doesn’t just provide shelter, it also gives people a sense of political identity and belonging to a home or country. The uphill Tamil community, coerced into migratory movements from India to Sri Lanka for plantation labor, confronted a formidable existence marked by precarious homelessness. This community nurtured a perception that the absence of their personal dwelling impeded a sense of belonging to the Sri Lankan nation. Even subsequent to acquiring Indian citizenship and repatriating, their precarious homelessness endured during their post-repatriation phase due to transient or inadequate housing conditions in India. This state of precarious homelessness begets housing insecurity and prolonged psychological adversities, encompassing apprehension, strain, and anguish among the Hill Country Tamils. By propounding this framework, the study not only enhances understanding of homelessness dynamics, but also provides scholars and policymakers with a holistic view to address homelessness among stateless and displaced populations.