Position(s):
Research Associate
Department/Section:
Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics
Contact details:
Email address:
College:
Location:
Lucy Cavendish College, Lady Margaret Road, Cambridge CB3 0BU
About:
Shihan’s research and publications concern cultural interactions in the Indian Ocean within a historical, linguistic and ethnomusicological frame emanating from international trade. She works on roots of contemporary music and dance through nineteenth century manuscripts of folk literature and song, and also through frescoes. Currently, she is working on a study of the Sri Lanka Portuguese dialect encapsulated in the oral traditions of African descendants. The project involves recording, transcribing and translating chant-like songs called manja passed down intergenerationally over the centuries.
Teaching interests:
- Intangible cultural heritage
- Ethnomusicology
- Indian Ocean migration and diasporas
- Global History
- International Relations
- Creole languages and linguistics
- Economics
Research interests:
- Language maintenance and loss
- Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage
- Identity and cultural memories
- Code-switching
- Creole languages
Published works:
Monographs
- The African Diaspora in Asian Trade Routes and Cultural Memories. UK: Edwin Mellen Press (2010).
- African Identity in Asia: Cultural Effects of Forced Migration. New Jersey, USA: Markus Wiener (2009).
- The Portuguese in the East: A Cultural History of a Maritime Trading Empire. London: I B Tauris Academic Publishers. pp. 212 (2008).
- An Anthology of Indo-Portuguese Verse. UK: Edwin Mellen Press. pp. 237 (2001).
- Indo-Portuguese of Ceylon: A Contact Language. London: Athena Publications. pp. 188 (2001).
- Tagus to Taprobane: Portuguese Impact on the socioculture of Sri Lanka from 1505 AD. The Ceylon Historical Journal Monograph Series, Volume 20. Sri Lanka: Tisara Publishers. pp. 459 (2001).
Co-authored Books
- Land and Maritime Empires in the Western Indian Ocean. Milan: Educatt (with Beatrice Nicolini) (2017).
Book Chapters
- 'Multilingualism and the Sri Lanka Portuguese Dialect of an Afro-Diasporic Community'. In: Global Portuguese: Literary, Historical, Linguistic and Anthropological Approaches. Ed.s: Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya and Stefan Halikowski Smith. Leiden: Brill (2025), pp. 93-113.
- 'Intangible Cultural Heritage as Development in an Indian Ocean Island Creole Community.' In: Creole Cultures: Creole Identity and Language Representations. Ed.s: Morgan Dalphinis, Duane Edwards, Michael M. Retzer and Violet Cuffy. London: Palgrave Macmillan (2024), pp. 49-73.
- 'Language Maintenance and Loss among Afro-Asians in South Asia.' In: Language Contact and Language Shift. Ed.: K. Ihemere. Munich: LINCOM Studies in Language Typology (2011).
- 'Persisting Portuguese Linguistic Impressions in India and Sri Lanka.' In: Portuguese in the Orient: The Portuguese in Sri Lanka and India. Kandy, Sri Lanka: International Centre for Ethnic Studies (2010).
- 'Reduplication in Indo-Portuguese, Malayo-Portuguese and Sino-Portuguese.' In: Twice as Meaningful. Ed.: S. Kouwenberg. Battlebridge Publications, London (2002), pp. 185-191.
Edited Books
- Global Portuguese: Literary, Historical, Sociolinguistic and Anthropological Approaches. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers (with Stefan Halikowski-Smith) (2025).
- Legacies of Trade and Empire: Breaking Silences. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (with Beheroze Shroff) (2023).
- Sustaining Support for Intangible Cultural Heritage. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (with Mariana Pinto Leitão Pereira and Gregory Hansen) (2022).
- Uncovering the History of Africans in Asia. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 196 (with Jean-Pierre Angenot) (2008).
- The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean. Africa World Press, New Jersey, USA, pp. 293 (with Richard Pankhurst, OBE) (2003).
Articles in Journals
- 'Impact of Multilingualism on Sri Lanka Portuguese.' Ceylankan. February 2020.
- 'O português do Seri Lanca: situação atual.' Folha Boletim da lingua portuguesa nas instituições europeias no. 60 – verão de 2019, pp. 7-10.
- 'Correspondence between Hugo Schuchardt, John Henry Eaton, Donald Ferguson, Edmund Woodhouse and William Goonatilleke on Ceylon Portuguese with Linguistic Insights.' Grazer Linguistische Studien 84, Austria (2015).
- 'Linguistic Influences on Portuguese Burghers and Afro-Sri Lankans.' Ceylankan Australia (August 2014).
- 'Cross-cultural Influences on the Language of the Sri Lankan Malays.' African & Asian Studies 8(3):204-221, Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands (2009).
- 'Hugo Schuchardt Manuscript of Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole: Linguistic Analysis with Portuguese and English Translations.' ORBIS, 41: 189-203, University of Leuven, Belgium (2008-2009).
- 'Portugal and Sri Lanka: Sociocultural Interactions and Language Contact.' Oriente 17: 3-18, Lisbon, Portugal (2007).
- 'Tense Mood and Aspect in Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Sri Lanka, XLVII: 115-132 (2004).
- 'Changing Political Scenarios and Linguistic Innovation: The Case of Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole.' Sprachtypol. Univ. Forsch. (STUF), 56 (4): 400-411 (2003).
- 'Grammatical Variation in an Indo-Portuguese Creole.' ORBIS, 42, University of Leuven, Belgium (2002).
- 'Asian Portuguese Creoles: A Common Origin.' EPISTEME 7-8-9: 459-466. Revista Multidisciplinar da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Portugal (2001).
- 'A Unique Malay: Sri Lankan Malay Creole.' NUSA, 50: 43-58, Jakarta, Indonesia (2001).
- 'Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole: A Language in Eclipse.' Indian Ocean Review, 13 (1): 20-21. (2000).
- 'Indo-Portugués e Sinhala: Inter-Câmbio das Palavras.' PAPIA, 10: 66-77. University of Brasilía, Brazil (2000).
- 'Portuguese in Sri Lanka: Effects of Substratum Languages.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 9 (2): pp. 251-270 (1999).
- 'Sinhala Borrowings in Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, XLIV: 31-37 (1999).
- 'Portuguese Borrowings in Sinhala.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Sri Lanka, XLIII: 1-12 (with R. Wijetunge, 1999).
