Sri Lanka in Context: Critical Perspectives
2025 AISLS Graduate Student Conference
May 2-3, 2025, Cornell University
CALL FOR PAPERS
We invite graduate students working on projects related to Sri Lanka and its diasporas, in any discipline, to submit abstracts for the 2025 Sri Lankan Studies Graduate Student Conference. As in years prior, this conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to critically engage with the particularities of Sri Lanka and its diasporas; particularities often sacrificed to make our work speak clearly to non-specialist audiences. While we acknowledge the many benefits of such generalized engagement, we also recognize a keen need to build community around a shared sense of context. If there is something unique about the field of Sri Lankan Studies, then gathering in a common space to discuss the specificities of a local context offers opportunities to consider not only how this material contributes to the academic conversations in which it tends to be subsumed, but also how conventions of rigor, generosity, and accountability might best be achieved amongst scholars most intimately familiar with the conditions of producing this material. We especially encourage applicants from within Sri Lanka; papers that engage with contemporary Sri Lankan scholarship, recognizing that the study of Sri Lanka within Sri Lanka often finds nuances lost in generalized or comparative disciplines around the globe; and reflections on the ways in which our institutional locations determine our approach to the study of Sri Lanka.
The 2025 Sri Lanka Graduate Student Conference will be held on May 2-3, 2025 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The conference is hosted by Cornell’s South Asia Program and co-sponsored by the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. As in years prior, this workshop will bring together graduate students in both final writing-up stages and pre-research/planning stages from a variety of disciplines and institutions. Graduate students at institutions in Sri Lanka are particularly encouraged to apply, and the hybrid format will facilitate such participation. The graduate conference aims to enhance intellectual exchange on Sri Lanka, emphasize the production of empirical and non-sectarian knowledge, build a new cohort of researchers across disciplines and institutions, and strengthen research and mentoring relationships across geographic, linguistic, and institutional borders.
The conference will take place over two days. On Friday, May 2, a small, closed-door pre-dissertation development workshop, in English, will be held for up to six students who are working on their research proposals, with several faculty mentors from Cornell and other institutions. This portion of the conference will be a hybrid event, with some participants physically present in Ithaca, while others may join virtually from other locations. In the evening of Friday, May 2, an arts event, open to the public, will take place on the Cornell campus. All conference participants are warmly encouraged to attend.
On Saturday, May 3, a conference will consist of several panels of paper presentations, in English, from advanced graduate students, with multi-disciplinary Cornell faculty discussants. In the spirit of collegial engagement, all participants, including those accepted to the Friday workshop, are expected to attend the entire conference. This conference will be a hybrid event, with some participants at Cornell and some joining via Zoom. We hope to have as many people attend in person as possible, though we understand that various factors might necessitate virtual participation. The conference proceedings will not be recorded. Both virtual and in-person access to the conference will be restricted to participants.
We have limited funding for travel and accommodations for conference participants. As has been the case with past conferences, this funding is generally not sufficient to cover full airfare from South Asian and European locations to the US. When applying please let the organizers know if you have access to full or partial travel funding from your home university. Please alert us if you are unable to access funding from your department or university. If you are applying as a virtual participant with no intention to travel, please state that clearly in your application.
We would like to invite three categories of potential participants to submit proposals to sap@cornell.edu by Monday, February 10, 2025.
- Pre-research students in Masters or PhD programs working on Sri Lanka may apply for the Friday, May 2 pre-dissertation development workshop. Students should submit a research proposal (up to 1,000 words in English), describing research plans and methods, and expected contributions to Sri Lankan studies and any other relevant fields. Applicants should also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information, including a list of related research grants applied for (if any).
- Advanced graduate students may submit individual paper proposals for the Saturday, May 3 conference. Proposals should include a title and 300-word abstract (in English, Tamil and/or Sinhala), as well as a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any notable publications and/or presentations.
- Graduate students at any stage of their studies, who wish to participate in the conference without presenting may send brief expressions of their interest, noting how this conference would be beneficial to your graduate studies. Please also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information.
Please send proposals as PDF or Word attachments, with “Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshop” in the subject line, to the South Asia Program at sap@cornell.edu by Monday, February 10, 2025. Inquiries before that date are most welcome. Please indicate the category of your proposal in your email. Students may only apply to one of the two workshops, though students in the Friday session are automatically enrolled to attend the Saturday conference.
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2024 Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshop
Friday April 5, 2024
Hosted by Cornell University
CALL FOR PAPERS
On Friday, April 5, 2024, the South Asia Program at Cornell University will host a virtual workshop for graduate students working on Sri Lanka, co-sponsored by the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. This Pre-Dissertation Workshop will occur on Friday April 5 at 11:00 am EDT over Zoom. The exact time is potentially subject to change, depending on the time zones of workshop participants, but the date is firm.
This closed-door workshop will comprise a group of up to six students who are working on their research proposals, with several faculty mentors, including Sharika Thiranagama (Anthropology, Stanford University), Daniel Bass (Asian Studies, Cornell University), and others. The workshop aims to enhance intellectual exchange on Sri Lanka, emphasize the production of empirical knowledge linked to precise analysis, build a new cohort of researchers (and research) across disciplines and institutions, and strengthen intellectual relationships across geographic, linguistic, and institutional borders. We invite students from all disciplines to participate.
Pre-research students in Masters or PhD programs working on Sri Lanka may apply for the pre-dissertation development workshop. Students should submit a research proposal (up to 1,000 words in English), describing research plans and methods, and expected contributions to Sri Lankan studies and any other relevant fields. Applicants should also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information, including a list of related research grants applied for (if any).
Please send proposals as PDF or Word attachments, with “Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshop” in the subject line, to the Cornell South Asia Program at sap@cornell.edu by Monday, February 26, 2024. Inquiries before that date are most welcome.
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Community, Context, Critique
2023 AISLS Graduate Student Conference
April 21-22, 2023, Cornell University
CALL FOR PAPERS
We invite graduate students working on projects related to Sri Lanka and its diasporas, in any discipline, to submit abstracts for the 2023 Sri Lankan Studies Graduate Student Conference. As in years prior, this conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to critically engage with the particularities of Sri Lanka and its diasporas; particularities often sacrificed to make our work speak clearly to non-specialist audiences. While we acknowledge the many benefits of such generalized engagement, we also recognize a keen need to build community around a shared sense of context. If there is something unique about the field of Sri Lankan Studies, then gathering in a common space to discuss the specificities of a local context offers opportunities to consider not only how this material contributes to the academic conversations in which it tends to be subsumed, but also how conventions of rigor, generosity, and accountability might best be achieved amongst scholars most intimately familiar with the conditions of producing this material. We especially encourage applicants from within Sri Lanka; papers that engage with contemporary Sri Lankan scholarship, recognizing that the study of Sri Lanka within Sri Lanka often finds nuances lost in generalized or comparative disciplines around the globe; and reflections on the ways in which our institutional locations determine our approach to the study of Sri Lanka.
The 2023 Sri Lanka Graduate Student Conference will be held on April 21-22, 2023 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The conference is hosted by Cornell’s South Asia Program and co-sponsored by the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. As in years prior, this workshop will bring together graduate students in both final writing-up stages and pre-research/planning stages from a variety of disciplines and institutions. Graduate students at institutions in Sri Lanka are particularly encouraged to apply, and the hybrid format will facilitate such participation. The graduate conference aims to enhance intellectual exchange on Sri Lanka, emphasize the production of empirical and non-sectarian knowledge, build a new cohort of researchers across disciplines and institutions, and strengthen research and mentoring relationships across geographic, linguistic, and institutional borders.
The conference will take place over two days. On Friday, April 21, a small, closed-door pre-dissertation development workshop, in English, will be held for up to six students who are working on their research proposals, with several faculty mentors from Cornell and other institutions. This portion of the conference will be a hybrid event, with some participants physically present in Ithaca, while others may join virtually from other locations. In the evening of Friday, April 21, an arts event, open to the public, will take place on the Cornell campus. All conference participants are warmly encouraged to attend.
On Saturday, April 22, a conference for invited participants only will consist of several panels of paper presentations, in English, from advanced graduate students, with multi-disciplinary Cornell faculty discussants. In the spirit of collegial engagement, all participants, including those accepted to the Friday workshop, are expected to attend the entire conference. This conference will be a hybrid event, with some participants at Cornell and some joining via Zoom. We hope to have as many people attend in person as possible, though we understand that various factors might necessitate virtual participation. All conference participants who attend in person are expected to abide by Cornell University’s covid policies for visitors, which are subject to change before the conference date. The conference proceedings will not be recorded. Both virtual and in-person access to the conference will be restricted to participants.
We have limited funding for travel and accommodations for conference participants. As has been the case with past conferences, this funding is generally not sufficient to cover full airfare from South Asian and European locations to the US. When applying please let the organizers know if you have access to full or partial travel funding from your home university. Please alert us if you are unable to access funding from your department or university. If you are applying as a virtual participant with no intention to travel, please state that clearly in your application.
We would like to invite three categories of potential participants to submit proposals to sap@cornell.edu by Monday, February 20, 2023.
- Pre-research students in Masters or PhD programs working on Sri Lanka may apply for the Friday, April 21 pre-dissertation development workshop. Students should submit a research proposal (up to 1,000 words in English), describing research plans and methods, and expected contributions to Sri Lankan studies and any other relevant fields. Applicants should also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information, including a list of related research grants applied for (if any).
- Advanced graduate students may submit individual paper proposals for the Saturday, April 22 conference. Proposals should include a title and 300-word abstract (in English, Tamil and/or Sinhala), as well as a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any notable publications and/or presentations.
- Graduate students at any stage of their studies, who wish to participate in the conference without presenting may send brief expressions of their interest, noting how this conference would be beneficial to your graduate studies. Please also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information.
Please send proposals as PDF or Word attachments, with “Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshop” in the subject line, to the South Asia Program at sap@cornell.edu by Monday, February 20, 2023. Inquiries before that date are most welcome. Please indicate the category of your proposal in your email. Students may only apply to one of the two workshops, though students in the Friday session are automatically enrolled to attend the Saturday conference.
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WRITING SRI LANKA
2022 AISLS Graduate Student Conference
April 22-23, 2022, Cornell University
CALL FOR PAPERS
The recent arrests and detentions of Sri Lankan writers, bloggers and poets form part of a long history of extrajudicial detention which elucidates the ever-present stakes of writing about Sri Lanka, or simply Writing Sri Lanka. This Call for Papers aims to collectively reflect on how these stakes surface in Sri Lanka Studies research, regardless of genre or discipline. Who wields the power to determine which writings about Sri Lanka are legitimate and authentic? Who determines which writings are benign to the state and which writings pose a threat? Under what circumstances are some writings deemed dangerous or illicit, in the guises of patriotism, security, or even the global war on terror? What power do words have—whether in literature or academia, across different languages and genres—to question, critique, and surpass how the state and any other institutions draw and enforce these distinctions?
We invite graduate student papers from any discipline, and focusing on any temporal or geographic area, which reflect in some way on these questions. The 2022 Sri Lanka Graduate Conference will be held on April 22-23, 2022 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The conference is hosted by Cornell’s South Asia Program, and co-sponsored by the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. As in years prior, this workshop will bring together graduate students in both final writing-up stages and pre-research/planning stages from a variety of disciplines and institutions. Graduate students at institutions in Sri Lanka are particularly encouraged to apply, and the hybrid format will facilitate such participation. The graduate conference aims to enhance intellectual exchange on Sri Lanka, emphasize the production of empirical and non-sectarian knowledge, build a new cohort of researchers across disciplines and institutions, and strengthen research and mentoring relationships across geographic, linguistic, and institutional borders.
The conference will take place over two days. On Friday April 22, a small, closed-door pre-dissertation development workshop will be held for four to six students who are working on their research proposals, with several faculty mentors from Cornell and other institutions. This portion of the conference will occur via Zoom, with some participants physically present in Ithaca, while others may join virtually from other locations. In the evening of Friday April 22, an arts event, open to the public, will take place on the Cornell campus. All conference participants are warmly encouraged to attend.
On Saturday April 23, a conference for invited participants only will consist of several panels of paper presentations from advanced graduate students, with multi-disciplinary Cornell faculty discussants. In the spirit of collegial engagement, all participants, including those accepted to the Friday workshop, are expected to attend the entire conference. This conference will be a hybrid event, with some participants at Cornell and some joining via Zoom. We hope to have as many people attend in person as possible, though we understand that various factors might necessitate virtual participation. All conference participants who attend in person are expected to abide by Cornell University’s Covid policies for visitors, which are subject to change prior to the conference date. The conference proceedings will not be recorded. Both virtual and in-person access to the conference will be restricted to participants.
We have limited funding for travel and accommodations for conference participants. As has been the case with past conferences, this funding is generally not sufficient to cover full airfare from South Asian and European locations to the US. When applying please let the organizers know if you have access to full or partial travel funding from your home university. Please alert us if you are unable to access funding from your department or university. If you are applying as a virtual participant with no intention to travel, please state that clearly in your application.
We would like to invite three categories of potential participants to submit proposals to
sap@cornell.edu by Monday February 21, 2022.
- Pre-research students in Masters or PhD programs working on Sri Lanka may apply for the Friday April 22 pre-dissertation development workshop. Students should submit a research proposal (up to 1,000 words), describing research plans and methods, and expected contributions to Sri Lankan studies and any other relevant fields. Applicants should also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information, including a list of related research grants applied for (if any).
- Advanced graduate students may submit individual paper proposals for the Saturday April 23 conference. Proposals should include a title and 300-word abstract, as well as a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any notable publications and/or presentations.
- Graduate students at any stage of their studies, who wish to participate in the conference without presenting may send brief expressions of their interest, noting how this conference would be beneficial to your graduate studies. Please also include a brief indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information.
Please send proposals as PDF or Word attachments, with “Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshop” in the subject line, to the South Asia Program at sap@cornell.edu by Monday February 21, 2022. Inquiries prior to that date are most welcome. Please indicate the category of your proposal in your email. Students may only apply to one of the two workshops, though students in the Friday session are automatically enrolled to attend the Saturday conference.
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2021 Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshops
February 26 and March 12, 2021
Hosted by Cornell University
CALL FOR PAPERS
In February and March 2021, the South Asia Program at Cornell University will host two virtual workshops for graduate students working on Sri Lanka, co-sponsored by the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. The Pre-Dissertation Workshop will occur on Friday February 26 at 11:00 am EST and the Research Interrupted Workshop will take place on Friday March 12 at 11:00 am EST. The exact times are potentially subject to change, depending on the time zones of workshop participants, but the dates are firm.
For each of these closed-door workshops, a group of four to six students will meet with several faculty mentors from Cornell and elsewhere. The workshops aim to enhance intellectual exchange on Sri Lanka, emphasize the production of empirical knowledge linked to precise analysis, build a new cohort of researchers (and research) across disciplines and institutions, and strengthen intellectual relationships across geographic, linguistic, and institutional borders. We invite students from all disciplines to participate.
Pre-Dissertation Workshop
Pre-research students in Masters or PhD programs working on Sri Lanka may apply for the February 26 pre-dissertation development workshop. Students should submit a research proposal (up to 1,000 words), describing research plans and methods, and expected contributions to Sri Lankan studies and any other relevant fields. Applicants should also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information.
Research Interrupted Workshop
The March 12 workshop is for graduate students who were in Sri Lanka doing research in 2020, but had to leave early due to the pandemic, and those who intended to go to Sri Lanka in 2020 or 2021 for their research, but have yet been unable to do so owing to pandemic conditions. This workshop will support students’ reconfiguration of their projects, including the use of alternative research methods and archives, combinations of Sri Lankan and non-Sri Lankan research locations, etc.
Applications should include the student’s original research proposal (up to 1,200 words), as well as a 300-500 word statement indicating how original research plans were interrupted, and what alternative avenues they are considering. Applicants should also include a brief CV indicating institutional affiliation, degrees earned, current address, and any other relevant information.
Application Procedure
Please send proposals as PDF or Word attachments, with “Sri Lanka Graduate Student Workshop” in the subject line, to the South Asia Program at sap@cornell.edu by Monday January 11, 2021. Inquiries prior to that date are most welcome. Please indicate which workshop for which you are applying. Students may only apply to one of the two workshops.
PAST GRADUATE STUDENT WORKSHOPS
Since 2010, AISLS has co-sponsored a series of workshops for graduate students working on topics related to Sri Lanka. The 2010 and 2011 workshops were held at The New School in New York in conjunction with the university’s China India Institute. Four subsequent workshops (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016) were held at Stanford University, where they were co-sponsored by the Center for South Asia. All six of these workshops were organized by Sharika Thiranagama, with assistance from graduate student committees. In 2017, the workshop moved to Cornell University.
In addition, in October 2015 AISLS held a small workshop in Madison WI for graduate students on “Field Research in Sri Lanka.” This event was convened by Mythri Jegathesan, Jeanne Marecek, and Dennis McGilvray. A similar workshop, convened by Sharika Thiranagama, was held in Madison in October 2019.
