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This thematic issue traverses refugee research that recognises the importance of networks in determining the paths that refugees undertake in their journeys to seek safety and protection. In recent years, scholars have increasingly pointed to the multifaceted nature of networks in the refugee journey. These articles demonstrate the importance of elucidating the distinct influences and factors that shape refugee networks, including the unequal power relations between refugees and refugee aid workers in transit countries, transnational family and community connections, the proliferation of technologies in strengthening refugees’ networks, the role of the state in privileging certain refugee groups over others, and the role of refugees themselves in mobilising both past and existing networks to activate supports.

This book is the first compilation of the experiences of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora in Australia. It explores the theme of home—from what is left behind to what is brought or (re)created in a new space—and all the complex processes that ensue as a result of leaving a land defined by conflict. The context of the book is unique since it focuses on the ten-year period since the Sri Lankan civil war ended in 2009. Although the war has officially come to an end, conflict continues in diverse and insidious forms, which we present from the point of view of those who have left Sri Lanka. The multidisciplinary nature of the book means that various aspects of Sri Lankan Tamil experiences are documented including trauma, violence, resettlement, political action, cultural and religious heritage, and intergenerational transmission. This book draws on qualitative methods from the fields of history, geography, sociology, sociolinguistics, psychology and psychiatry. Methodological enquiries range from oral histories and in-depth interviews to ethnography and self-reflexive accounts. To complement these academic chapters, creative contributions by prominent Sri Lankan artists in Australia seek to provide personalised and alternative interpretations on the theme of home. These include works from playwrights, novelists and community arts practitioners who also identify as human rights activists.

“Tamil weekends” describe how second-generation migrants are involved in an intensively packed mix of Tamil linguistic, cultural and religious activities, mostly on the weekends, as part of the first generation’s to (re)create home. Drawing from an ethnographic study in a Tamil Hindu temple, this chapter explores how adolescent students perceive the transmission efforts of the first generation, and what it means for their sense of belonging and their sense of Tamilness in the homeland of Sri Lanka and the new home of Australia. I highlight how first- and second-generation ideologies regarding Tamil identity and belonging are changing with time, largely due to new interpretations of “being Tamil” that vary between and within generations. At the same time, as a result of the threat to Tamil culture in Sri Lanka, there is an enduring sense of duty to maintain the language, religion and culture outside of the homeland.