American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS):
The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) is an Overseas Research Center (ORC) established in 1996. It is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). Founded in 1981, CAORC is a network of American overseas research centers (ORCs) dedicated to assisting American scholars conducting research on critical issues of national importance in 29 countries around the world. CAORC deepens U.S. expertise in regions critical to national security and economic stability. AISLS is also an affiliate of the Association for Asian Studies, an American non-profit dedicated to the advancement of research and teaching on Asian Studies.
Objectives:
AISLS’ central objectives are to strengthen American research, expertise and teaching on Sri Lanka and to cultivate links between American and Sri Lankan scholars and institutions. Its main focus is on the humanities, social sciences, and related fields. At a time when America’s security, economic strength, and global competitiveness depend on a workforce equipped to deal with global issues, AISLS provides American university faculty and graduate teaching assistants with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare American students for leadership at home and globally.
Membership:
AISLS has 19 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 Sri Lankan Studies in the United States, while the other focuses on programs in Sri Lanka. The latter is primarily carried out by the Colombo Center – AILS.
American Programs – AISLS
- Awards fellowships for two to six months research in Sri Lanka for American citizens 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 American 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 limited company registered in Sri Lanka, acts as the Sri Lankan presence for AISLS.
- Supports visiting American 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.
- Helps visiting American researchers, including Fulbright fellows, to make Sri Lankan contacts and find language tutors, research assistants and translators.
- Offers advice on research content and broader intellectual advice, depending on the staff members’ expertise and familiarity with a given research topic.
- Digitizes and preserves important research resources, including endangered historical and contemporary material. Our main current partners are Princeton University Library and the South Asia Open Archives (Chicago).
- Nurtures, in partnership with Sri Lankan, American and third-country academics and universities, research focus areas (currently historiography and art history).
- Maintains the AILS Library in Colombo, which is open to both US and Sri Lankan students and researchers. 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.
