Memory and resistance in the London Tamil diaspora: reflections from the ‘Tamils of Lanka: a timeless heritage’ exhibition

This paper explores memory work in the London Tamil diaspora ten years since the end of the Tamil Information Centre. Examining the exhibition narrative, content and format, I argue that building spaces of shared and co-produced knowledge can be considered an act of resistance: coming together to share stories and ideas, to remember atrocity and resilience, and to document history from the Tamil perspective. Engaging with the exhibition as a space to remember - and for some in the diaspora, to encounter - the political potential of Eelam, the exhibition acknowledges the importance of such initiatives in reclaiming historical narratives and actively shaping the emerging narrative of the community.