It was one evening, while reading the novel Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatjee, that my ideas for a doctoral project took shape. Before reading the novel, I had heard from my professor who taught me postcolonial studies (a course for which the novel was prescribed) that Ondaatjee's only novel about Sri Lanka had often been the subject of harsh criticism due to the fact that he could not understand the novel. depict the island's civil war in a believable manner. Literary scholars have subjected Anil's Ghost, Michael Ondaatjee's only novel about Sri Lanka, to heavy criticism on the grounds that it fails to depict the island's civil war in a "credible manner". Indeed, working primarily as a historical backdrop, the war does not directly concern Anil Tissera, the expatriate Sri Lankan protagonist. Anil does not appear to function as an insider but rather as an investigative bystander concerned about the nature of extrajudicial killings on the island. The critique raises several questions: To what extent has postcolonial literary studies readily adapted the genre of “conflict literature” to denote the faithful depiction of violence and war? What, if any, possibilities are there for what we call “conflict literature” to show how peace can be imagined in countries like Sri Lanka, where ethnic warfare has become the defining postcolonial national reality? How do these imaginations or reflections of peace in turn shape ideas of nationalism? Transition sentence here.The doctoral research that I hope to pursue at -------------- intends to analyze these questions in a more systemic (more in-depth?) way. My research archive would cover Sri Lanka's English-speaking literary production between 1983 and 2009 - the ethno period...... middle of paper ...... program of the Department of Comparative Literature of ----- . In order to complete my doctoral project, I am seeking in-depth exposure to critical literary theory, an option that was limited during my one-year postgraduate degree. Additionally, the program also allows for the exploration of a particular national literature, an essential aspect of my field of study. The “special area” component of the program would allow me to explore complementary avenues such as the Sri Lankan film archives which could augment/complement my research. In addition to providing opportunities to carry out my doctoral research, I believe the department's emphasis on independent research, creative and critical thinking, coupled with broad teaching perspectives, would help me achieve my career goals. goals as a future academic.