Sasikumar Balasundaram

EDUCATION INFO:
BA Sociology, University of Perdeniya, Sri Lanka - 2005

SUBFIELD:
Cultural Anthropology

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Slavery, plantation communities, identity, caste, poverty and social inequality

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS TITLE:
Malaiyaha People: A study of changing ethnic identity formation among the plantation Tamils in Sri Lanka

ADVISOR:
Ann Kingsolver

CONFERENCE PAPERS/POSTERS PRESENTED :
"Untouchable Became Touchable: The Politics of Dalit Identity." Presented at American Anthropological Association, Dec 2-6, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"Operation or Oppression: Forced Sterilization as a Cultural Genocide against the Up-country Tamils in Sri Lanka." Presented at Annual Conference on South Asia, Oct 23-25, 2009, in Madison, Wisconsin.

"Epidemic or Gift of God: Belief and Healing Practices of Chicken Pox among the Ethnic Up-country Tamils in Sri Lanka", presented at SCASC, April 18, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina.

"Targeting Wombs: Sterilizing Ethnic Up-country Tamil Women in Sri Lanka", presented at Society for Applied Anthropology, March 17-2009 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"From Slavery to Semi-Slavery: Tea Contract Farming (or outgrowing) in the Global South: A Case Study from Sri Lanka", presented at Southern Anthropological Society, March 12-13,2009 in Wilmington, North Carolina.

"Being Called Tigers in School: Tamil Children’s Experiences of Ethnic-based Discrimination in a Sinhala-Medium School in the Up-county of Sri Lanka", presented at Annual South Asian Conference, Oct 17- 21,2009 in Madison, Wisconsin.

"First in Class: Understanding academic success as cultural resistance of the up-country Tamil children in a Sinhala medium school." Presented at the SFAA conference 2008, Memphis.

"Walking with Amman: Young Malaiyaha Tamils’ Views of their Identity in Practice", a co-authored paper presented at Tamil Studies conference in Toronto in May 2007.

"Untouchables Become Touchable: Caste-based discrimination among the Up-country Tamils in Sri Lanka", presented at National Workshop on Caste-based discrimination in Sri Lanka in 2007 sponsored by International Dalit Solidarity Network and Institute of Dalit Studies.

"Effect and impact of tea out-grower system in selected worker families in Matale district", presented at Peradeniya University Annual Research Symposium (2006)

"Students’ Views on Improving Relavance and Quality of Undergraduate Education", Ministry of Education, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2005)

CONFERENCES ATTENDED:
Annual Conference on South Asia University of Wisconsin - Madison - 2007

PUBLICATIONS:
Transition from Tea worker to Out-grower (Co-authored book), 2007, Institute of Social Development Publication, Kandy, Sri Lanka

Walking With Amman: Young Malaiyaha Tamils Views of Their Identity, Co-authored with Ann Kingsolver, 2008

Caste Discrimination Among the Indian Tamil Plantation Workers in Sri Lanka, Co-authored , 2009

AWARDS:
American Institute of Sri Lankan Studies Travel Grant (2008)

Department of Anthropology Travel Grant (2008)

Graduate School Travel Grant (2009)

Mahapola Scholarship, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (2001-2005).

Ceylon Estate Workers Education Trust (CEWET) Scholarship, High commission of India, Sri Lanka (2002).

Winner, Inter-University Research Grant, Social Policy Research Analysis Center (SPARC), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka (2007).

FELLOWSHIPS:
International Crusade Development Fellowship, General Board of Global Ministries of United Methodist Church, New York (2007)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
Member of American Anthropological Association (AAA) 2008-2009

Member of American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) 2007-2009

Member of Society for Applied Anthropology (SFAA) 2007-2009

Member of Trail of Tears Association 2009

Member of Society for Social Problems 2009

Member of Amnesty International, USA 2009

Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka - 2005-2007

Visiting Lecturer, American College of Health sciences, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka - 2005-2006

Deputy Coordinator, Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education Project, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka - 2006-2007

Member of the Research Team, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya - 2006


E-MAIL: sashi99500@yahoo.com