This graduate seminar is a comprehensive introduction to Tamil cultural identity in South and Southeast Asia, engaging students through the lenses of literature, visual culture and history. The course utilizes a wide array of original Tamil texts alongside their English translations, spanning from the Sangam period to modern times, to trace the evolution, growth, and transformations of Tamil societies within India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and broader diasporic contexts. Central to the course is an in-depth examination of Tamil belonging and subjectivity. The course examines critical aspects of gender, caste, linguistic nationalism, and ethnic collectivities, exploring how these factors frame Tamil ideas of belonging and their impact on the formation of larger national and cultural identities in South and Southeast Asia.Through critical analysis of historical and contemporary texts, students will explore questions such as: What does it mean to be Tamil within these regions? How have Tamil identities and experiences evolved from ancient times to today? How do concepts like linguistic nationalism and ethnic collectivities shape Tamil belonging, and what impact do these have on the broader cultural and historical identities of South and Southeast Asia?