Research Spotlight Series: Arun Jentrick & Asma Khanani

Women-Headed Households in Post-War Sri Lanka

Arun Jentrick, PhD candidate, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies

As a result of the 30-year long civil war, about 25% of all households in Sri Lanka are headed by women. However, Sri Lanka does not have a national plan or policy to understand their challenges and address their needs. Based on empirical data, this talk examines this issue from a variety of angles and aims to inform social and economic policies as well as legal solutions.

Place-making as Therapeutic Landscapes – Intergenerational Narratives of Ugandan Asian Women Diaspora in Canada and the US; Material Culture and Practice for Resiliency as Health in New Geographies

Asma Khanani, PhD candidate, Geography and Environment

How do displaced communities reconcile identity, peace, and place after losing their homeland? This talk examines intergenerational health impacts and place-making processes following the 1972 Ugandan expulsion of South Asians. Offering critical insights into global forced displacement experiences, it demonstrates how women diasporas re-create material culture and daily practices to cultivate health, well-being and identity in new places.