AILS Colombo will be closed the week of April 8th for the holidays. We will reopen on Tuesday April 16th at 9:00 AM.
We are now maintaining normal opening hours. However, if you wish to see a particular staff member you should call ahead (2583277 or 4513706). You may also make an appointment by emailing Ramla Wahab-Salman at ramlaw.ails@gmail.com
The American Institute for Lankan Studies (AILS), a non-profit company registered as limited by guarantee under the Companies Act No. 17 of 1982 of Sri Lanka, serves as the Colombo center for AISLS. It provides a wide range of services to AISLS members and other researchers, both local and foreign, working in the humanities and social sciences. The center offers a reference library of about 1,500 books and a selection of journals, offprints, conference proceedings, and electronic resources, including JSTOR. The library is open to both local and foreign readers and its book holdings are available in an up-to-date online catalogue. AILS staff members can provide assistance in using the book collection and in accessing JSTOR. Depending the topic, AILS staff may also be able to offer more substantive research advice. Researchers may also wish to consult our Guide to Research Libraries in Sri Lanka.
Staff at the Colombo center carry out activities that fall under two core programme areas. First, they support digitization and/or preservation of important research resources, including endangered historical and contemporary material. Second, in partnership with both Sri Lankan and U.S. academics and universities, AILS supports the nurturing of long-term intellectual agendas and epistemic communities in selected fields (currently historiography and art history). In collaboration with Sri Lankan public universities and other local organizations, AILS also supports efforts to strengthen teaching and research on Sri Lanka in selected humanities and social science fields. In addition, the center sponsors occasional invitational workshops and public lectures. These meetings promote the exchange of ideas among academics, researchers, and others from Sri Lanka, the United States and third countries.
HOURS, DIRECTIONS, AND CONTACT DETAILS
The center is open Monday through Friday, from 9:15 AM to 4:00 PM, and is closed on Sri Lankan holidays. It is located at 10 Fonseka Terrace, Colombo 6. The telephone numbers are 94-011-2583277 and 94-011-4513706. The general email address is aisls@sltnet.lk.
AILS STAFF
Ramla Wahab-Salman, Executive Director
Ramla manages programming, library and digitization initiatives at AILS in Colombo.
She is a researcher in the field of history with research interests in urban history and Islam in South Asia.
Ramla holds a B.A. (Hons.) History from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi and M.A. History (South Asia) from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Crystal Baines, Associate Director — Programming and Digital Humanities
Crystal manages the digital humanities initiatives at AILS Colombo and supports other academic and administrative programmes.
Her research interests include Literary History, Minority Studies, Religious Studies, and Translation Studies. Her current research focuses on how narratives of the secular and secularization intersect with Buddhist thought in twentieth-century South Asian literature.
She received her BA in English from the University of Peradeniya and PhD in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a Visiting Lecturer at the Department of English, University of Colombo.
Amali Wijesundara, Finance and Administration Manager
Amali manages AILS finances and takes a leading role in other administrative matters. She is in charge of the language instruction programme.
She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) and has worked and gained more than 30 years experience in the field of Finance in top corporates covering many industries in Sri Lanka.
Dorina Punniyamoorthy, Assistant Administrative Officer
Dorina assists with administrative work at AILS Colombo.
Her research interests include comparative politics, South Asian political culture and the state of democratic and public institutions in South Asia.
She holds a BA (Hons) and MA in Political Science from the University of Peradeniya. She has also served as a visiting lecturer at the Department of Social Science at the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Mithsandi Seneviratne, Project Assistant
Mithsandi assists with a variety of library related tasks and ongoing projects.
She has recently completed her secondary education at C.M.S. Ladies’ College. Her interests include literature, theatre, and queer studies.
John Rogers, United States Director, AISLS
John handles AISLS operations in the United States, and he oversees the relationship between AISLS and AILS. He is based in Massachusetts, but he spends two to three months each year in Colombo.
He holds a Ph.D. in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and has research interests in the social and legal history of South Asia and Sri Lanka. He has also taught at Tufts University, Harvard University, Dartmouth College, and Northeastern University.
