T Dharmaraj’s book traces historical fault lines in Tamil society, offering a provocative account of both the 2017 jallikattu protests and Vijay’s political rise that goes beyond conventional Dravidian and left narratives
Angela W Little’s book spans the original vision and contemporary debates around Sri Lanka’s system of free education, but fails to fully capture its intertwined dynamics of learning, politics and nationalism
Relangi Selvarajah’s killing in 2005 is a reminder of the risks faced by critics of Tamil militancy and the LTTE during Sri Lanka’s civil war – and of the persisting impunity around crimes against journalists in the country
This week in Himal
This week, Sohel Sarkar reviews three recent books unpacking the violent roots of caste-based vegetarianism. Sarkar writes that vegetarianism in India continues to be framed
A conversation on the failed attempts at accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka and hopes from the country’s new political dispensation for movement towards transitional justice.
The Indian-Francophone writer Ari Gautier on Black and Dalit struggles, indentured labour, and the little-known histories of French colonialism in South India
It is natural to compare Gaza today and Tamils’ plight at the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War – but claims that the LTTE stood in solidarity with Palestine and got training from the PLO are dangerously misleading
Sri Lanka rejected the Rajapaksas and an entire political establishment in the presidential election, with voters serious about a break with the past, says human rights advocate Ambika Satkunanathan
Tamil nationalism faces a new challenge as the climate emergency spreads in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province and other Tamil-dominated areas, where the ravages of war and systemic discrimination have left the population especially vulnerable
With mainstream Sri Lankan parties feeling compelled to pander to Sinhala Buddhist voters, Tamil-led parties have been pushed to take more hardline positions to address Tamil voters’ frustrations - historically and today
Sampanthan’s death prompted glowing tributes from Colombo but relative indifference in the Tamil community, which gained nothing from his and the Tamil National Alliance’s compromises with the Sri Lankan state
