Workshop of the Tamil Studies Network 2013 - Final Programme
"Rituals of Community and Political Ritual: The Making and Remaking of a Tamil People"
Göttingen, June 7-8, 2013
Held at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS), University of Göttingen
Sponsored by SFB 619 "Ritual Dynamics" (University of Heidelberg), Subproject A6 and CeMIS
CONFERENCE VENUE: Convention Centre by the Observatory, Geismar Landstrasse 11, 37083 Göttingen
Day 1: June 7 2013
Welcome, self-introductions, lunch: 12:00-13:15
Panel 1: Religion as the Sign of Tamilness
13:15-15:15
“Buddhism Among Tamils”
Peter Schalk, University of Uppsala
“‘The Most Important Seat of Saiva Siddhanta Learning and Tamil Culture’:The Thiruvavaduthurai Adhinam and Other Networks of Popularizing Saiva Siddhanta”
Rafael Klöber, University of Heidelberg
Respondent: Michael Bergunder
Discussion: 45 mins.
Coffee Break: 15 mins.
Panel 2: Identity: Linguistic and Otherwise
15:30-16:50
“The Roots of Tamil Identity”
Emmanuel Francis, CNRS Paris
“Of Chinese, Klings, and Other Castes: Tracing the Making of ‘Tamilness’ from the Margins, 1819-1942”
Torsten Tschacher, CeMIS, University of Göttingen
Respondent: Nathaniel Roberts
Drinks and dinner: 6pm (Bullerjahn Restaurant, Altes Rathaus, Göttingen)
Day 2: June 8 2013
Panel 1: Tamilness, Contestation and the Modern State
“‘Pillars of Saivism’: Rituals of Community and the Making of Tamil Identity among South African Indians”
Ulrike Schröder, University of Heidelberg
“The Tamil Question - The Modern Roots of Sri Lankan Communalism”
Harshan Kumarasingham, Alexander von Humboldt-Fellow, University of Potsdam
Respondent: Gabriele Alex
Discussion: 45 mins.
Coffee break: 15 mins
Panel 2: “The Tamil,” Politics and Representation
11:15-12:55
“Canvases of political competition: Image production as politics in Tamil Nadu, India”
Roos Gerritsen, University of Heidelberg
“Culture and Nation in the Rāmāyaṇa: C. N. Annadurai’s Reading of India’s Epic”
Jonas Buchholz, University of Heidelberg
Respondent: Rupa Viswanath
Discussion: 30 mins
Lunch: 45 mins.
Roundtable discussion (planning future of network): 13:40-14:40
Goodbyes and coffee: 14:40-15:15