A series of informal seminars led by and for Arts and Humanities doctoral students. Each seminar is presented by a different PhD researcher and involves plenty of interactive discussion. This is a friendly, supportive space in which we develop critical research skills and build community.

Seminar 6.7: Sites of Belonging and Unhomeliness: exploring ‘home’ through the persona poetry of Sri Lankan women

When and where: Thursday 14th August 2025 from 1-2 pm in Grosvenor East room 206 and on Teams, with optional extension until 2.30pm for in-person attendees. Tea, coffee, juice and snacks provided.

Presenter: Sumithreyi Sivapalan. Sumi is in her 3rd year of PhD research. Her thesis links the concepts of home and belonging with persona poetry and the civil war and post-war context of Sri Lanka, and the possibility that persona poetry might serve as a site of belonging for those who feel ‘unhomely’ in their homeland or in their host country.

Format/topic: Sumi will lead this session with a brief introduction to the question of belonging in Sri Lanka and the historical and present struggles related to it. She will then introduce her research on persona poems, linking them to critical theories of home and belonging. Attendees will be encouraged to consider when and how one can truly feel at home.

Preparation: There is no pre-reading for this session, but attendees may wish to read a brief introduction to Sri Lanka and the civil war (e.g. Wiki, BBC, or HIR) and persona poetry.

Grosvenor East room 2.06 and on Teams, with optional extension until 2.30 pm for in-person attendees.

Tea, coffee, juice and snacks provided.

Email Loretta to say whether you would like to attend online or in person, and if you have any dietary requirements (all snacks are vegetarian).