2. Fragments of Memory: Writing the Migrant’s Story

Reflecting on her journey from her birthplace in Sri Lanka to Australia, Anna Arabindan-Kesson’s essay ‘Fragments of Memory: Writing the Migrant’s Story’ looks at the relationship between her own experience of migration and the idea of memory as a form of narrative. She recalls the violent events of Sri Lanka’s ‘Black July’ in 1983 and how its legacies and impact have directly shaped her scholarship. She explores the power of photography as both a tool to reconstruct her early memories and as a way to reconnect her with her family’s past. She delves into the differences of her experience living in Australia compared to Sri Lanka and looks at this in the context of image-making, memory, beginnings, and endings.