Tamil Literature: From the Madurai Sangam to the Halls of Oxford

This two-day conference will bring together a range of scholars working on Tamil language and literature from the earliest records of the Sangam era to modern lexicography and pedagogy. The University of Oxford and Balliol College, although renowned for the Boden Professorship in Sanskrit, was also the home of the great Tamil scholar Rev. George Uglow Pope from 1888 till his death in 1908. His translations of the திருக்குறள் (Tirukkuṟaḷ) and திருவாசகம் (Tiruvācakam) remain pillars of Tamil studies in English. We hope that, in addition to providing a venue for scholars to present their research, this conference will further revive interest in Tamil studies at the University of Oxford, where the language is once again being taught and enriching students’ understanding of India.