The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) was established in 1996.
Its two central objectives are to promote US research and teaching on Sri Lanka and to build
mutually beneficial links between US and Sri Lankan scholars and institutions. The
Institute also serves as the professional association for US scholars and other
professionals who are interested in Sri Lanka.
President: Charles Hallisey, challisey at hds.harvard.edu
United States Director: John Rogers, rogersjohnd at aol.com
Executive Director, Colombo Center: Ira Unamboowe, aisls at sltnet.lk
AISLS is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). Founded in 1981, CAORC is a private not-for-profit federation of 23 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 fellowships support two to nine months of research in Sri Lanka by US citizens
who already hold a PhD or the equivalent at the time they begin their
fellowship tenure. Both scholars with little or no experience in Sri Lanka as well as specialists are encouraged to
apply for a fellowship. AISLS also offers smaller grants for predissertation study in
Sri Lanka, for language instruction in Sri Lanka, and for graduate student attendance at conferences. Most AISLS awards are funded by grants from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
at the US State Department.
|
Support for Research in Sri Lanka |
The AISLS center in Sri Lanka
sponsors activities that promote collaboration between visiting US scholars
and Sri Lankans, including a workshop program.
AISLS also has a library that concentrates on new scholarly publications and on a
broad range of reference materials. Its catalog is included in the
Digital Library for International Research.
|
Support for Sri Lankan Studies in the United States |
AISLS promotes collaboration and the flow of information among US-based
scholars and professionals interested in Sri Lanka. It operates a closed
listserve that enables its members to exchange information and make contacts
for conference panels. It also sponsors periodic workshops that bring
together scholars interested in a particular theme. The AISLS center in Sri Lanka also supplies AISLS members
with copies of research materials not available in the United States. AISLS holds its annual general meeting at the Annual
Conference on South Asia, which takes place
each October in Madison, Wisconsin.
|
Preservation and Dissemination of Research Information and Materials
|
At present, AISLS maintains a Directory of Reseach Centers in Sri
Lanka and supports
the provision of information to the International Directory of South Asia
Scholars.
The AISLS is also developing programs to preserve and disseminate
important research materials.
- Back to top -
|
Board of Directors
(Term expiration is noted in
parentheses.)
President
Charles Hallisey (2013)
challisey at hds.harvard.edu
Harvard University
Vice-President
Jonathan Spencer (2013)
Edinburgh University
Treasurer
Daniel Bass (2013)
bassd1 at southern.ct.edu
Southern CT State University
Secretary
Christina Davis (2015)
c-davis at niu.edu
Northern Illinois University
Past President
Jeanne Marecek (2013)
jmarece1 at swarthmore.edu
Swarthmore College
Elected Directors
Michele Gamburd (2013)
Portland State University
Arjun Guneratne (2014)
Macalester College
Sujatha Meegama (2014)
Nanyang Technological University
Sharika Thiranagama (2013)
New School for Social Research
Mark Whitaker (2014)
University of Kentucky
Deborah Winslow (2014)
National Science Foundation
Institutional Members and Appointed Representatives
Brandeis University
Laurence Simon
Colgate University
John Ross Carter
Columbia University
Valentine Daniel
Cornell University
Anne Blackburn
Duke University
Sumathi Ramaswamy
Five Colleges Buddhist Studies Consortium
Maria Heim
Harvard University
Charles Hallisey
The ISLE Consortium
Sree Padma Holt
Johns Hopkins University
Anand Pandian
Northwestern University
George Bond
Princeton University
Bhavani Raman
Stanford University
Thomas Hansen
University of California--Berkeley
Sanchita Saxena
University of Chicago
Sascha Ebeling
University of Michigan
Farina Mir
University of Pennsylvania
Daud Ali
University of Texas--Austin
Kamran Asdar Ali
University of Virginia
Geeta Patel
University of Washington
Keith Snodgrass
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sumudu Atapattu
Yale University
K. Sivaramakrishnan
Listserve Director
Michele Gamburd
Portland State University
Resident Agent
Caitrin Lynch
|
