Nira Wickramasinghe
Encyclopedia
Nira Konjit Wickramasinghe is Professor of Modern South Asian Studies at Leiden University
in the Netherlands
and a well known international academic. She was a professor in the Department of History and International Relations, University of Colombo
, Sri Lanka
until 2009 . She grew up in Paris and studied at the University of Paris IV - Sorbonne from 1981 to 1984 and at the University of Oxford
from 1985 to 1989 where she earned her doctorate in Modern History
. She joined the University of Colombo in 1990 and taught there until 2009. She has been a World Bank
Robert McNamara fellow, a Fulbright senior scholar at New York University
, a visiting professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
in Paris
, and more recently British Academy
Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford
. She is currently working on a history of the reception of the sewing machine in colonial Sri Lanka, a topic which she researched while on sabbatical at the Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies Princeton University
in 2008-2009.
Sri Lanka in the modern age: A history of contested identities. London: Hurst & Co. and Honolulu: University of Hawaii press, 2006.
Civil society in Sri Lanka: New circles of power. New Delhi: Sage Publications, c2001.
Ethnic politics in colonial Sri Lanka, 1927–1947'. New Delhi: Vikas Pub. House, 1995.
University space and values: Three essays'. Colombo: International Centre for Ethnic Studies Colombo, 2005.
L'Invention du Vetement national au Sri Lanka. Habiller le corps colonise'. Paris: Karthala Presse, 2006.
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and a well known international academic. She was a professor in the Department of History and International Relations, University of Colombo
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
until 2009 . She grew up in Paris and studied at the University of Paris IV - Sorbonne from 1981 to 1984 and at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
from 1985 to 1989 where she earned her doctorate in Modern History
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
. She joined the University of Colombo in 1990 and taught there until 2009. She has been a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
Robert McNamara fellow, a Fulbright senior scholar at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, a visiting professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and more recently British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
. She is currently working on a history of the reception of the sewing machine in colonial Sri Lanka, a topic which she researched while on sabbatical at the Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 2008-2009.
Select Publications
Nira Wickramasinghe has published the following books:Sri Lanka in the modern age: A history of contested identities. London: Hurst & Co. and Honolulu: University of Hawaii press, 2006.
Civil society in Sri Lanka: New circles of power. New Delhi: Sage Publications, c2001.
Ethnic politics in colonial Sri Lanka, 1927–1947'. New Delhi: Vikas Pub. House, 1995.
University space and values: Three essays'. Colombo: International Centre for Ethnic Studies Colombo, 2005.
L'Invention du Vetement national au Sri Lanka. Habiller le corps colonise'. Paris: Karthala Presse, 2006.