Anthropologists / Filmmakers / Photographers / The Sunday Times

Aaron Burton: A Journey of Inheritance

In 1976, a young anthropologist named Sharon Bell travelled to Sri Lanka to begin work on her thesis. She learnt Sinhala in three months and settled down in the village of Kanewala for two years. She became friends with local families there and in Pelpitigoda and Duwa as well, following the fishermen from the latter … Continue reading

Academics / Anthropologists / Writers

Nethra Samarawickrama: Dowries, Dupattas and Doorsteps: Insiders and Outsiders of the Fort of Galle

Nethra Samarawickrama is most interested in the people whom history has neglected. Visitors to the UN World Heritage Site of Galle Fort find that the presence of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British is well documented. Inside the Fort’s upscale boutique hotels, colonial artefacts are lovingly preserved, colonial architecture painstakingly restored and tales of … Continue reading