Graduate Associate
susanraj[at]yorku.ca
Doctoral Candidate
Graduate Programme in Humanities, York University
Research Keywords:
Buddhism; humanism; modernity; postcolonial; Sri Lanka
Research Region(s):
Sri Lanka
Research Diaspora(s):
South Asian Diaspora
Susan is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Humanities at York University. She holds an MA in Humanities and a BA in English Literature also from York University. Her research focuses on the intersections of modernity, Buddhism and literature situated within the broader context of nation building in Sri Lanka. She examines Buddhist humanism as an important element in the writings of Martin Wickramasinghe and Ediriweera Sarachchandra and women's roles within the domestic sphere in the novels of Punyakante Wijenaike. Other themes in Susan’s doctoral research highlight the relationship between aesthetics and identity, in their range and potential, as alternatives to nationalist discourse. In addition to this central goal, Susan is also interested in exploring nationalist movements within Canada against the backdrop of Canadian multiculturalism.