Suren Raghavan

Suren Raghavan (Tamil: சுரேன் ராகவன், romanized: Curēṉ Rākavaṉ; Sinhala: සුරේන් රාගවන්, romanized: Surēn Rāgavan) is a Sri Lankan academic and former Governor of the Northern Province. He is of biethnic heritage, classed as Sri Lankan Tamil due to paternal descent.[1]

Suren Raghavan
சுரேன் ராகவன்
සුරේන් රාගවන්
Member of Parliament
for National List
Assumed office
20 August 2020
6th Governor of the Northern Province
In office
7 January 2019 – 20 November 2019
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Preceded byReginald Cooray
Succeeded byP. S. M. Charles
Personal details
Political partySri Lanka Freedom Party
Alma materUniversity of Kent
ProfessionAcademic
EthnicitySri Lankan Tamil

Raghavan joined the University of Kent's School of Political and International Relations in 2005 on a scholarship from the James Madison Trust and received a Master of Arts degree after producing a dissertation on federalism in Sri Lanka.[2][3] He then carried out research at the University of Ottawa before returning to the University of Kent in 2008 on another James Madison Trust scholarship to study for his doctorate degree.[2][4] He was also an Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme scholar from 2008 to 2011 and a recipient of the Ontario Student Assistance Program award.[2][3] In 2012 he received a doctorate politics and government from the University of Kent after producing a thesis titled Multimational Federaiism and Sinhala Buddhism. Is there a (In)compatibility? The Case of Ethnonationalism in Sri Lanka.[3][5]

Raghavan was a visiting professor at Saint Paul University, research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies and a visiting research scholar at the University of Colombo's Department of History.[2][3][6][7] He was chairperson and national director of Colombo School for Critical Studies.[7] He has been a jury member for several film festivals including the OCIC, South Indian Film Federation and Asian Cinema Centre.[7] He organised the Indian Film Festival in Colombo.[7]

Raghavan was appointed adviser to President Maithripala Sirisena and director of the Presidential Media Unit in November 2018.[3][8] In January 2019 he was appointed Governor of the Northern Province by Sirisena.[9][10] Following the presidential election in November 2019, newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered Raghavan and all other provincial governors to resign.[11][12] Following the 2020 parliamentary election he was appointed to the Parliament of Sri Lanka as a National List MP representing the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.[13][14][15]

Works
  • Buddhist Monks and the Politics of Lanka’s Civil War: Ethnoreligious Nationalism of the Sinhala Sangha and Peacemaking in Sri Lanka, 1995-2010 (2018, Equinox Publishing)[2]
  • Post-War Militancy of Sinhala Saṅgha: Reasons and Reactions (Oxford University Press)[2]

References
  1. Suren Rāghavan, Buddhist Monks and the Politics of Lanka's Civil War, Ethnoreligious Nationalism of the Sinhala Saṅgha and Peacemaking in Sri Lanka, 1995-2010, 2016
  2. "Suren Rāghavan". Oxford, U.K.: Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  3. "First Tamil Governor, Dr. Suren Ragavan, appointed for North". Tamil Diplomat. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  4. "Centre for Federal Studies: Members". Canterbury, U.K.: University of Kent. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  5. "Centre for Federal Studies: Research degrees". Canterbury, U.K.: University of Kent. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  6. "Contributors". Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. 1: 5. October 2011. ISSN 2047-1076.
  7. "Executive Board: Suren Rāghavan". Colombo, Sri Lanka: Arts Council of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  8. "Suren Ragawan appointed Presidential Media Director!". Sri Lanka Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  9. "Three more governors appointed". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  10. "Keerthi Tennakoon appointed Governor Uva". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  11. "Governors resign". The Island. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  12. "Governors asked to resign". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  13. "Part I : Section (I) — General - Government Notifications - Parliamentary Elections - 2020 - Declaration under Article 99A of the Constitution" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. No. 2188/2. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 10 August 2020. p. 2A. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  14. "SLPP National List goes to EC". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  15. "SLPP releases National list". Sunday Observer. Colombo, Sri Lanka. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
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