BA (Colombo) MA (Colombo) PhD (Wellington)
I am a Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo. I obtained my PhD (Political Science) from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (2021) and MA (IR) from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka (2016). I have obtained the Staff Training qualification from the CTHE and SEDA (Staff and Education Development Association), UK. My other academic and professional trainings include the residential academic program on US Foreign Policy in University of Delaware, the US in 2024, leadership program at Swedish Institute (2016/2017) and youth leadership program in the Ship for World Youth Program in Japan (FujiMaru, 2012), among others. Administratively, I am the Director of the Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Arts (2024). I am also the coordinator of the Postgraduate Diploma in Gender and Women’s Studies and the Certificate Course in International Relations.
I currently teach introductory course for International Relations, Geopolitics, South Asia, China Today, Advanced Theories of IR and Research Methodology at the undergraduate level and critical theories in International Relations, Gender, Migration and Research Methodology at the postgraduate level in both Sinhala and English mediums. I am the course director for International Politics and Geopolitics in the Masters program offered by the Department of International Relations. I use decolonial and feminist teaching techniques at the class room.
As a researcher, I am more drawn to explore dynamics in international migration, challenges of democratic citizenship regime, borders, geopolitics, transnationalism and Sri Lankan diaspora. I am more interested in multidisciplinary research that cross International Relations, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology. Currently I am working on understanding the ways in which Sri Lankan immigrants’ make sense of their home and host country citizenship. I am the author of Immigrants’ Citizenship Perceptions: Sri Lankans in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand published by Peter Lang in 2023 (https://www.peterlang.com/document/1269872) which received the second place of the international Donna Coates book prize 2023 (https://acnzsn.org/book-prize/winner-and-runner-up-of-2023-donna-coates-book-prize/). I have presented my research work in several international conferences in academic institutions in the US, Europe, Africa and Asia and Pacific.
I am also an advocate in policy making (especially Sri Lankan migration policy making), a frequent commentator in several media and a unionist.
I can be reached via: pavithraj@inr.cmb.ac.lk / jayawardenapavithra1@gmail.com
Tel. 0094112500433