Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Samanthi J. Gunawardana is a Senior Lecturer in Gender and Development in the Faculty of Arts, and a member of the Monash Gender, Peace and Security Centre. She is the Course Director for the Master of International Development Practice.
She has a PhD in Economics and Commerce from The University of Melbourne. Prior to joining Monash University, she was a Lecturer in Employment Relations at Griffith University, and an Instructor in Labour Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. Samanthi was the 2009-2010 Visiting Professor of International Studies at Trinity College in Connecticut, and in 2006 she was a Visiting International Fellow at Cornell University.
Samanthi’s research examines the impact of development policy on employment systems, labour, and livelihoods among rural women in South Asia, with a particular emphasis on gender, development and labour in Sri Lanka. Key topics explored include export processing zone employment systems, freedom of association, labour organizing, labour migration, and connections between the political economy of households and development policy.
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):
Research area keywords
- International Relations
- Gender
- Labour Force
- Developing countries
- Worker's Rights
- Human Rights
- Political Economy
- Ethical Sourcing
- Feminist political economy
- Livelihoods
- Sri Lanka
- Economic security
- Employment relations
- Entrepreneurship
Network
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Gendered Impacts of SME Policy Responses to Covid-19 in South East Asia: Examples from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam
Datt, G., Islam, A., Gunawardana, S., Lee, W., Bayudan-Dacuycuy, C., Fillaili, R. & Viet Cuong, N.
20/04/21 → 30/04/22
Project: Research
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Inclusive Economies and Enduring Peace: The Transformative Role of Social Reproduction
True, J., Gunawardana, S., Johnston, M., Rai, S., Pratt, N., Elias, J. & Lingham, J.
1/08/19 → 31/07/21
Project: Research
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How the persistence of patriarchy undermines the financial empowerment of women microfinance borrowers? Evidence from a southern sub-district of Bangladesh
Shohel, T. A., Niner, S. & Gunawardana, S., 2021, In: PLoS ONE. 16, 4, 21 p., e0250000.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus) -
A continuum of participation: rethinking Tamil women’s political participation and agency in post-war Sri Lanka
Koens, C. & Gunawardana, S. J., 1 Jan 2020, (Accepted/In press) In: International Feminist Journal of Politics. 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Like a tidal wave: Coronavirus in countries already facing development challenges
Gordon, E. & Gunawardana, S., 24 Apr 2020, 3 p. Deakin ACT Australia : Australian Institute of International Affairs.Research output: Other contribution › Other
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Carceral spaces and social reproduction: exploring export processing zones in Sri Lanka and prisons in Argentina
Pereyra-Iraola, V. & Gunawardana, S., 25 Oct 2019, In: Social Politics. 26, 4, p. 538-560 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Emerging economies, freedom of association and collective bargaining for women workers in export-oriented manufacturing
Gunawardana, S. J., 2018, The Routledge Companion to Employment Relations. Wilkinson, A., Dundon, T., Donaghey, J. & Colvin, A. J. S. (eds.). 1st ed. New York NY USA: Routledge, p. 372-386 15 p. (The Routledge Companion).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
Prizes
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Australian International Political Economy Network Richard Higgott Journal Article Prize
Gunawardana, Samanthi (Recipient), 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Faculty of Arts Citation for Excellence in Post-Graduate Coursework Teaching
Gunawardana, Samanthi (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Keynote: Report launch of Rural women’s participation and recognition in sustainable agricultural livelihoods across their life-course, in post-war Sri Lanka
Samanthi Gunawardana (Keynote/plenary speaker)
26 Mar 2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Gendered Care in Spaces of Seclusion and Exclusion in Sri Lanka and Argentina, Post-conflict care economy and depletion of women’s labour
Samanthi Gunawardana (Speaker) & V Pereya (Speaker)
2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Panel discussant: Book launch of True, J., Parashar, S. & Tickner, A. Gendered States Revisited: Implications for 21st Century International Relations.
Samanthi Gunawardana (Invited speaker)
5 Jul 2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Gender, microfinance and micro-credit in Asia: Observations from Post-war rural Sri Lanka
Samanthi Gunawardana (Speaker)
13 Nov 2017 → 14 Nov 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Monash Warwick Alliance Workshop 2017
Samanthi Gunawardana (Speaker)
10 Sep 2017 → 11 Sep 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
Press / Media
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Gendered Depletion in Export Processing Zones
27/03/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Clothing. International Political Economy of Everyday Life
1/01/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment