Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Charishma Ratnam is a Human Geographer and Research Fellow at the Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre (MMIC) at the School of Social Sciences, Monash University. Her research spans a number of areas, primarily focusing on refugee experiences, migrant (re)settlement, inclusion, and home-making practices. Charishma is particularly interested in developing novel research approaches including visual, ethnographic, and walking methods with participants to better understand their experiences of/in/with place(s).
Charishma is currently working on multiple research projects: she is involved in Monash University's Network for Excellence on Regional Liveable Diversity; she is working with Sri Lankan migrants to better understand how they use and encounter public spaces in Sydney and Melbourne, and; Charishma is working on a project with colleagues at MMIC and the Victorian Government to co-design safe and inclusive public spaces for women and migrants in three Local Government Areas. She worked on a recently completed project with MMIC colleagues for the Victorian Government that examined how organisations can strengthen their digital engagement with migrant communities. She has published research in Urban Geography, Mobilities, Emotion, Space and Society, and Geography Compass. She also co-edited a collection on Sri Lankan Tamils in Australia (2020).
Charishma is currently the Honorary Membership Secretary of the Institute of Australian Geographers and a member of the New and Emerging Communities Advisory Committee for the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia. In 2021, Charishma commenced an appointment as Associate Editor and Book Review Editor for the Journal of Sociology.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
External positions
Membership Secretary, Institute of Australian Geographers
Jan 2021 → …
Associate Editor and Book Review Editor, Journal of Sociology
Jan 2021 → …
Advisory Committee Member, New and Emerging Communities, Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia
Jul 2020 → …
Visiting Researcher, Stockholm University
Apr 2019 → Jun 2019
Postgraduate Councillor, Institute of Australian Geographers
Jul 2018 → Dec 2020
Research area keywords
- Human Geography
- Migration
- Refugees
- Qualitative methods
- Sri Lankan diaspora
- Walking methods
- Visual methods
Network
Projects
- 4 Finished
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Co-designing and scaling effective COVID-19 communication strategies for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Victoria
Wickes, R., Olivier, P., Skouteris, H., Forbes-Mewett, H., Ratnam, C., Powell, R., Bartindale, T., Varghese, D. & Smith, L.
16/11/20 → 16/05/21
Project: Research
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Developing better methodological tools for working with marginalised populations
Drozdzewski, D., Ratnam, C. & Wimark, T.
24/04/19 → 23/04/20
Project: Research
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(Re)creating Sri Lankan Refugee Homes: How memory and identity influence resettling in the home
8/02/16 → 13/11/19
Project: Research
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Co-designing and scaling effective COVID-19 communication strategies for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Victoria
Wickes, R., Ratnam, C., Varghese, D., Olivier, P., Powell, R., Skouteris, H., Smith, L., Forbes-Mewett, H., Bartindale, T. & Hegarty, K., 2021, Melbourne Vic Australia: Victorian Government - Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.Research output: Book/Report › Other Report › Other
Open Access -
Research ethics with vulnerable groups: ethics in practice and procedure
Ratnam, C. & Drozdzewski, D., 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Gender, Place and Culture. 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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(Re)creating Home: The lived and gendered experiences of Tamil women in Sydney, Australia
Ratnam, C., 2020, A Sense of Viidu: The (Re)creation of Home by the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Australia. Kandasamy, N., Perera, N. & Ratnam, C. (eds.). Gateway East Singapore: Palgrave Pivot, p. 119-135 17 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
3 Citations (Scopus) -
A Sense of Viidu: The (Re)creation of Home by the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Australia
Kandasamy, N., Perera, N. & Ratnam, C., 2020, UK: Palgrave Pivot. 168 p.Research output: Book/Report › Edited Book › Other
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Conclusion: (Re)creating home- remembering the past, looking to the future
Kandasamy, N., Perera, N. & Ratnam, C., 2020, A Sense of Viidu: The (Re)creation of Home by the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Australia. Kandasamy, N., Perera, N. & Ratnam, C. (eds.). Gateway East Singapore: Palgrave Pivot, p. 159-166 8 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Other
Prizes
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Jim Rose Award for Best Honours Paper
Ratnam, Charishma (Recipient), 2015
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Outstanding Presentation by a Postgraduate Student
Ratnam, Charishma (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Stockholm University
Charishma Ratnam (Visiting researcher)
Apr 2019 → Jun 2019Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Home and away: The experiences of Sri Lankan refugees in Sydney
Charishma Ratnam (Invited speaker)
14 May 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Global Fellow
Charishma Ratnam (Member of programme committee)
11 Jun 2018 → 15 Jun 2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Researching the Homes of Sri Lankan Migrants in Australia: A Methodological Overview
Charishma Ratnam (Invited speaker) & Danielle Drozdzewski (Invited speaker)
10 Oct 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
Press / Media
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Connections and Collaborations: The Global Fellows Programme on Cities of the Future
2/07/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Blogs, Podcasts and Social Media › Blogs
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UNSW PhD candidate wins future cities challenge in London
2/07/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature