Dr Sandya Hewamanne

The Social Scientists’ Association (SSA) hosted a talk by Dr. Sandya Hewamanne, Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex England on the topic, “Post-Work Lives of Global Factory Workers in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh” on 1st of April 2025. Dr. Hewamanne’s lecture focused on the difficulties and complexities surrounding the post-work lives of the women factory workers in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. Dr. Hewamanne identifies various factors like the pervasive impact of neoliberalism in both rural and urban regions and the positivist narratives about microfinance, that influence the decisions made by former factory workers. Key factors such as literacy rates, religion and the social/familial dynamics within countries and cultural contexts impact the quality of life and livelihoods of women. This session was followed by a Q&A session.

Danture Wickramasinghe

The Social Scientists’ Association (SSA) hosted a talk by Professor Danture Wickramasinghe, Chair in Management Accounting at the University of Glasgow on the topic, “Micro-Accountability and Bio-Politics (Foucault) in the Gig Economy: Revisiting Disciplinary Perspectives in the Neoliberal Era” on the 20th of March 2025. Participants ranging from university students to young activists and academics were engaged in a discussion on the various nuances within the Gig Economy and how neoliberal economies have given the impression of empowerment to the individual while placing them under Panopticon-like levels of control using algorithms and digital platforms. Professor Wickramasinghe highlights how gig platforms create a race to the bottom; cascading down to the people at the grassroot level creating a platform for micro-accountability. He explains how exploitative capitalism is recreated in this economy by making workers vulnerable to precarity and low wages. Professor Wickramasinghe’s presentation was followed by a Q&A session with the session’s participants

Kath Weston – Reading Group

The Social Scientists’ Association (SSA) hosted an informal reading-group discussion with Professor Kath Weston (Anthropology, University of Virginia) on her 2022 article, “Bequeathing A World: Ecological Inheritance, Generational Conflict, and Dispossession” on the 5th of February 2025. Participants ranging from university students to young activists and academics engaged in a fruitful discussion on inter-generational conflicts surrounding the climate crisis and shared ideas on how to navigate these emerging tensions on the issue of climate change.

Shahar Hameiri 

The global governance of sovereign debt distress is widely understood to be threatened by China. Yet, China has proposed no alternative to the existing regime and has participated in Group of 20 frameworks drawing on Paris Club rules. This talk explains China’s behaviour as stemming from the Chinese party-state’s fragmentation, allowing China’s lenders to safeguard their interests, at the expense of other creditors and Beijing’s wider geopolitical interests.