Tamil South Asia Institute Tamil
Tamil is one of the most important cultural languages of South Asia and is one of the oldest languages still spoken in the world today. With a literary tradition dating back around 2000 years, Tamil is a language that has brought about a number of philosophical, secular and religious works in different eras and different language stages. Today, the contemporary Tamil literature and media scene continues this rich tradition and is constantly producing new works that are well worth discovering.
Classical Tamil literature, especially the Sangam corpus, holds a fascination with its unique love and heroic poetry, among other things. The extensive literature of the various Hindu movements of the Middle Ages, the works of Tamil Muslims and Christians, as well as modern Tamil literature are of particular importance. The Chennai-based Tamil film industry, known as Kollywood, produces over 200 films a year, which enjoy great popularity in India, Singapore, Malaysia and in the diaspora worldwide.
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in northern Sri Lanka and in numerous diaspora communities in Singapore, the Gulf region, Canada, Switzerland and many other countries. In Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian movement emerged in the 20th century, a politically influential movement to this day, which constructs and emphasises an independent South Indian or Dravidian identity as a response to the Aryan ideology prevalent in the north of the subcontinent.
Benefits of studying Tamil
Studying Tamil opens up numerous opportunities:
- Access to a fascinating region in South Asia and its two-thousand-year-old literature
- Immersion in the cultural traditions of the southern Indian subcontinent
- Insights into valuable sources for historians and religious scholars (Hinduism, Bhakti movement, Islam, Christian missionary history)
- Opportunity for empirical research for social scientists on site
- Insight into the cultural and political debates surrounding Dravidianism and South Indian identity
