In this spotlight, we hear from fellow Kaushalya Ariyarathne, academic coordinator and lecturer at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, to find out how impactful her time at the University was and how they have progressed since.
“Although I was able to spend a very short period of time in the Summer of 2023 at the Leicester Institute of Advance Studies (LIAS) due to my care responsibilities in Sri Lanka, it was a very important milestone in my professional life.
“After completing my PhD in 2021, this fellowship provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my research and its new dimensions and trajectories. My deepest gratitude goes to Professor Clare Anderson and Professor Teela Sanders for providing me the support and guidance.
“The team at LIAS, Charlotte King and Kellie Moss, and the dedicated Fellows Room also created a very warm working environment. The University of Leicester in summer is a scenic, green environment, and the diversity of the students and staff makes it even more beautiful.
“One of the most important meetings I had during my fellowship was the meeting with the Vice Chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah who is of Sri Lankan origin. Prof. Canagarajah was humble enough to make time to meet me at very short notice. He emphasized the need to improve research collaborations between the State Universities of Sri Lanka, including the University of Colombo, where I work, and the University of Leicester.
During my time at Leicester, I was also able to present my research on the topic of “Colonial Laws and Sexualities: Sri Lankan Nachchi (a category of transgender) Sex Workers Everyday Engagement with the Law.” The objective was to share some of the emerging themes of the research on Nachchi sex workers in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which I intend to choose as my post-doctoral research.
“There was a good response from the participants and Professor Teela Sanders informed me about the Palgrave Advances in Sex Work Studies, which I consider as a very good opportunity to publish my post-doctoral research.
“Currently, I am working on a proposal for this book project. With the feedback of the presentation, I have submitted an abstract to a book project titled: “Transnational Contact Zones: African and South Asian Sexualities and Genders” to be published by the University of Pretoria and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Currently, the chapter is in the peer review process.
“During my time here I was also able to meet with Nic Farmer, the Liberation Officer of the University of Leicester, to discuss their role in the university and student activities in State universities of Sri Lanka.
“Further I discussed with Professor Clare Anderson, the possibility of expanding her research on colonial prisons, to Sri Lanka. More importantly, LIAS allowed me to network with other fellows, while the pristine beauty of the city of Leicester made my fellowship an unforgettable experience.”
