ASIAN 4437 - Topics in Tamil Studies

This course will examine key issues in contemporary Tamil life in Sri Lanka within a historical frame, including the civil war, which ended in 2009; the ethnic conflict, which continues to this day; and the contested character of Tamil identities in Sri Lanka, with differences among Jaffna, Eastern, Muslim and Up-country Tamil communities.  The class will draw upon recent studies of the colonial era, and how notions of identity, publics and caste have changed over time. Students will engage not only with scholarly works by historians, anthropologists and psychologists, but also works by contemporary Sri Lankan artists, poets and activists.

  (SC)