Prasannajit De Silva |work| May 2026

Dr. Prasannajit de Silva is a distinguished art historian, author, and university lecturer specializing in 18th- and 19th-century British visual culture, particularly within the context of colonial India. He is currently an accredited speaker for The Arts Society and has taught at prestigious institutions such as Birkbeck, University of London, and the University of Sussex. Key Academic Contributions

: His research examines how British artists in India captured a society straddling two cultures and how these images were later reinterpreted by Indian subjects. Taylor & Francis Online Key Publications & Contributions Introductory Chapters : Author of the lead chapter for The Indian Picturesque: Landscape Painting 1800-1850 , a catalog published by DAG New Delhi Peer Support prasannajit de silva

His use of the word “podi” (small in Sinhala) recurrs as a term of endearment and diminution. In one poem, a mother calls a child “podi,” but the context is one of imminent disappearance. The word becomes untranslatable in its horror; it means “little one” and “nothing” simultaneously. De Silva thus weaponizes bilingualism. He does not translate his Sinhala words for the English reader; he leaves them as opaque stones in the stream of the text. This forces the non-Sinhala reader (including many urban Sri Lankans who are English-dominant) to experience the alienation that is the very subject of the poem. Language is not a transparent medium for de Silva; it is a contested territory, a minefield of historical baggage. Key Academic Contributions : His research examines how

Dr. de Silva completed his doctorate at the University of Sussex in 2007, where his research focused on the art of the British in India during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The word becomes untranslatable in its horror; it

The Visionary Leadership of Prasannajit de Silva: A Catalyst for Change

, researching the art of the British in India during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Academic Roles : He has held teaching positions at the University of Sussex Birkbeck, University of London Workers' Educational Association Current Activities : He is a featured lecturer for The Arts Society , delivering programs such as " British Portraiture in India the-arts-society-peterborough.org.uk Research Interests & Expertise Visual Culture of Colonial India