The Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies
Virtual seminars
Meet associate members and fellows from the Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies (LIAS) and discover their unique passion for curiosity-driven research. Learn why interdisciplinary, open-ended research is more important than ever as the world seeks new solutions and breakthrough ideas. Through the seminar series, we spotlight the unique opportunities provided by LIAS and learn more about the research and experience of our members.
Forthcoming seminars
Hon. (Dr)(Ms) Kaushalya Ariyarathne, MP (LIAS Fellow Alumni)
Transgender Sex Work in Sri Lanka: The Politics of Nachchi Sex Workers
24 September 2026, 12.00pm-1.00pm
This seminar explores the themes of Transgender Sex Work in Sri Lanka: The Politics of Nachchi Sex Workers, a groundbreaking study of a community that has received little sustained academic attention. Focusing on Nachchi sex workers, individuals assigned male at birth who live as women, it examines their lived experiences in contemporary Sri Lanka.
Drawing on first hand interviews, the research explores how Nachchi sex workers navigate everyday life shaped by colonial legacies, post war politics, and changing social norms. It challenges dominant narratives that oversimplify transgender identities, instead highlighting complexity, agency, and diversity. The seminar considers how marginalisation operates across gender, sexuality, and labour, using a decolonial approach to recover suppressed histories. It also reflects on the author’s journey from academic researcher to Member of Parliament.