American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS):
The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) was established in 1996. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). Founded in 1981, CAORC is a private not-for-profit federation of 26 independent overseas research centers that promote advanced research, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, with focus on the conservation and recording of cultural heritage and the understanding and interpretation of modern societies. AISLS is also an affiliate of the Association for Asian Studies.
Objectives:
AISLS’ central objectives are to promote US research and teaching on Sri Lanka and to strengthen links between US and Sri Lankan scholars and institutions. Its main focus is on the humanities, social sciences, and related fields.
Membership:
AISLS has 21 institutional members and over 130 individual members.
Governance and Funding:
The AISLS Board of Directors includes the members of its Executive Committee, Elected Directors, and Institutional Representatives, as per the AISLS bylaws. Some members of the board of directors, including the officers, are elected by the AISLS membership. AISLS is funded primarily through annual grants from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US State Department and from the US Department of Education. It also receives financial support from membership dues, individual donations, and occasional grants from private foundations and universities.
Work:
AISLS’ work is essentially two-fold: one stream focuses on supporting US scholars while the other focuses on Sri Lankan scholars. The latter is primarily carried out by the Colombo Center – AILS.
US-Centric Programs – AISLS
- Awards fellowships for two to six months research in Sri Lanka for US scholars who hold a doctoral degree.
- Offers smaller grants for pre-dissertation study, for language instruction in Sri Lanka in Tamil and Sinhala, and for graduate student participation at the Annual Conference on South Asia
- Operates, as the professional association for US scholars and other professionals who are interested in Sri Lanka, a closed listserv that enables its members to exchange information.
- Sponsors an annual workshop for graduate students studying Sri Lanka.
- Holds its Annual General Meeting and Reception at the Annual Conference on South Asia, Madison WI.
The Colombo Center – AILS:
The American Institute for Lankan Studies (AILS), a non-profit company registered in Sri Lanka, acts as the Sri Lankan presence for AISLS. The core work of AILS is spread across three intersecting areas, in which AILS supports:
- Digitization, preservation and/or dissemination of important research resources, including endangered historical and contemporary material.
- Efforts, in collaboration with Sri Lankan public universities and other local organizations, to strengthen teaching and research on Sri Lanka in selected humanities and social science fields.
- Nurturing, in partnership with Sri Lankan, American and third-country academics and universities, transnational long-term intellectual agendas and epistemic communities in selected fields (currently historiography and art history).
- The AILS Library in Colombo is open to US, Sri Lankan and third-country scholars. In addition to books on Sri Lanka, the collection includes some general works that provide theoretical and comparative perspectives. The library also subscribes to JSTOR, a database of full-text journal articles.
Additionally, the AILS staff complements broader organizational objectives by:
- Supporting visiting foreign researchers by providing advice on logistical matters, such as housing and transportation, and information on the processes to obtain or extend visas for Sri Lanka.
- Helping visiting foreign researchers to make Sri Lankan contacts and find language tutors, research assistants and translators.
- Offering advice on research content and broader intellectual advice, depending on the staff members’ expertise and familiarity with a given research topic.
