Sri Lanka's war and ethnic conflict in Tamil culture

Undergraduate / Graduate

The island nation of Sri Lanka has been tormented by one of the bloodiest and most protracted ethnic conflicts in modern history, leading between 1983 and 2009 to a civil war in which the minority Tamil population fought for its rights and survival. During this time, Tamil writers commented on all aspects of the conflict and recorded their experiences and memories, their political opinions and, time and again, their hope for peace and for a new life in exile. In this class, we will study the history of Sri Lanka's war and ethnic conflict through literature, film and music in addition to political and historical documents. Our sources will cover the earliest literary expressions of Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic consciousness and nationalism at the dawn of the twentieth century to the post-war literature and culture of the present day; novels, poems, op-eds, parliamentary debates and propaganda pieces; the work of Hindu, Muslim and Christian authors and artists resident in Sri Lanka and South India as well as diasporic artists from around the world (e.g. Canada, France, Germany, and Australia). No prior knowledge of Tamil or Sri Lanka is required. While all readings will be in English (translation), students of Tamil will also be able to study the texts in the original.