Text by: Piyumani Ranasinghe, former masterstudent in Human Rights and Multiculturalism.
When one must write about themselves, in typical Gen-Z lingo, one would say “cringe, but life goes on”. It is with this sentiment I want to start reflecting on this career milestone of being recognized as a trailblazer woman in Sri Lanka.
On the 20th of August 2024, at a very surreal and glamorous event, I saw a wide-angle screen projecting my name amid neon lights against Katy Perry’s “Firework”. I was receiving an award with 49 fellow incredibly talented women, and it was completely unprecedented. When I was told that I had been selected for the award I was shocked, as anyone would in the age of “imposter syndrome” and then of course deeply honored, simply because I knew recognitions of this nature, particularly concerning women, in any capacity, are not only about the individual. They are platforms that create dents in unequal systems, especially such as those in patriarchal societies that often inhibit women from taking center stage. They are about reclaiming space, not just for oneself but also for many other young girls - who are either already making strides in their journeys or simply just starting out - in an unapologetic fashion, uprooting traditionally imparted norms and identity markers. Awards like Shine 50 are platforms amplifying female leadership, empowerment, and passion, three things women especially in the global South are often deprived of. I soon reconciled with the thought that making it to Shine 50 is therefore much bigger than myself. It is also about the entities who have cradled my journey toward empowerment and continue to extend all hands of support. This is where USN and its transformative Human Rights Masters come in, for it has enabled me to lead a career of compassionate and purposeful leadership. Before that, let me first outline the importance of Shine 50, especially for young women like me.
Making it to Shine 50
Shine 50 is a prestigious award presented to Sri Lanka’s top 50 young change-makers from various sectors in the country, ranging from policy, fashion, economics, and entrepreneurship to fine arts (and in my case law, policy, and public interest litigation). The idea is to felicitate women who have made a significant impact in the given sector under 35 years. What makes Shine 50 special is that it is an inclusive platform that has representation from across Sri Lanka. The award is presented by Echelon in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development. I emerged in the top 50 out of over 700 nominations. What is striking here is the sheer number of nominations the organizers received, which in many ways lights up the future of Sri Lanka in my books, simply because it is evidence of how many more young girls are emerging from a deeply patriarchal social fabric, breaking away from societal shackles and embracing their true identities as community champions, thought leaders and empowered women. Making it to Shine 50 requires me to recall many who helped me get here. Amid them are my mentors at USN, and the entire human rights program which in many ways amplified my career in human rights law.
Before Shine 50: Reimagining a Pluriverse at USN
I joined USN for my post-graduate studies in 2021, after working as an aspiring young academic at the Department of Law of the University of Peradeniya. Whilst my interdisciplinary outlook on law, human rights, and society should be fully credited to my alma mater, Peradeniya, it is at USN I found the vocabulary, the theory, and the practice of understanding human rights as a transformative force in bringing social change, especially in formerly colonized societies. I was attuned to issues in the global South and came to understand the importance of radically reimagining the predominantly euro-centric rights discourses in a pluriverse, especially as a woman.
What is any reflection from an aspiring scholar, if they do not sprinkle some jargon in the write-up? Let me elaborate briefly on moving towards the pluriverse, a world where many worlds can thrive. This is where we break away from universalizing ideas, legal anthropocentrism and, seeing things in twos as they do in the euro-centric worldview. In the pluriverse we move towards critiquing power structures and creating dents within established systems demanding system change. USN’s Human Rights and Multiculturalism Masters was everything I imagined, and more. It allowed me to understand what in theory we call human rights as human rights praxis. It is at USN I met one of the most empowered academic and research mentors that I will probably ever know – prof. Gabriela Mezzanotti. Prof. Mezzanotti is a female force to reckon with. She embodies what I aspire to become – a truly empathetic leader and empowered woman making space for other women to take up space in academia and research. Through her, I met in person and through books scholars who thought about society, law and power more critically. I read books such as The Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Epistemologies of the Global South and started actively advocating for decolonizing the mind, human rights, and the law. I also started becoming a critical discourse analyst, a skill that has transformed my relationship with law and policy. As luck (or destiny) would have it I continue to work together with mentors like Gabriela, even in different continents, finding ways to reimagine the pluriverse through collaborative research work. A crucial feature of the Master program was the scope that it provided for one to independently explore research interests. In carving out my own journey, I was also privileged to become a part of a sisterhood of fellow researchers, especially the kind of women who support each other in designing a pluriverse, actively fighting patriarchy and dismantling power structures. This is testament to the fact that empowered women, continue to empower other women.
At USN I fully utilized my platform and voice to be a part of change both inside and outside the classroom. I took the initiative to lead the USN team at the University of Padova’s Model Universal Periodic Review (MUPR) in 2021, where the team was shortlisted for the best international non-governmental organization that year. This experience subsequently led to me taking up a role in the MUPR Secretariat in the following year, which became an opportunity of a lifetime to solidify my credentials as a certified international negotiator—a title that continues to complement my work. More importantly, the MUPR secretariat was a fully female-led entity that year and I got the opportunity to work and build connections with women working in human rights across the globe – relationships I continue to cherish.
USN Human Rights Master’s emphasis on interdisciplinary education was a stepping stone for me to explore my passion for human rights in innovative ways. I am often told by friends and peers, that I am inherently inclined towards taking initiative and engaging with the communities around me, a badge that I have come to wear with much pride. USN’s academic environment also had an array of extra-curriculars, most of which complemented in honing leadership skills. I was an active member of the Amnesty Club in Drammen and served as a student union representative for the Human Rights Master program from 2021-2023. I was also a student learning facilitator in Autumn 2022.
Transforming human rights discourses and actively practicing what one preaches is hard. One can never perfect it, but one can try working towards it. I took tiny steps whilst I was in Norway, especially publishing a children’s book on conservation education and environmental rights in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s oldest wildlife conservation society (WNPS). Since USN also opened the gates for me to understand research methodology in innovative ways, my outlook on research and writing also transformed. I co-authored of three book chapters on human rights education, environmental sustainability, and climate justice during my two years as a USN student collaborating with mentors at USN. Some of this work has gone on to be published in internationally edited academic publications, which I like to say were my “academic-pinch-me-now” moments.
Becoming a Legal Trailblazer in Sri Lanka
After graduating from USN in June 2023, I returned to Sri Lanka, bringing with me the skills, knowledge, and global perspective that I had gained. I returned during a difficult time for the country, as Sri Lanka was/is recovering from a crippling economic crisis amid multiple ongoing reform processes. As a post-war country, that continues to struggle with ethnic tensions, and violence against women and marginalized communities, the economic crisis triggered another challenge – severe brain drain. Many young young women (and men) want to leave and find greener pastures elsewhere. It is in that context I returned and received this award.
Whilst my time at USN heavily inspired me to never shy away from transformative leadership, especially seeing empowered female faculty who continue to strive for a more just and equitable world, I always knew my time in Norway was limited. In making the journey back home, I liked to always reflect on a quote by Lakshman Kadirgamar, a very renowned policymaker from Sri Lanka, who in his speech at the Oxford Union, said his time at Oxford was the icing on the cake, but the cake was baked at home. In Sri Lanka, I have had the privilege to work with empowering female leaders and role models, Prof. Deepika Udagama, Shyamali Ranaraja, and Bhavani Fonseka to name a few. Knowingly or unknowingly, they continue to carve a path for young people to strive for a more just country.
Now as a researcher and lawyer at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, my work continues in the space of legal and human rights advocacy, public-interest litigation, and academia. I teach at the Department of Law as visiting faculty and try to engage myself in many initiatives at both policymaking and community levels, being a part of a collective struggle with many others trying to change structures of power in Sri Lanka.
When Shine 50 was awarded, I was also asked what legacy I would like to leave behind, a question perhaps better suited for well-seasoned activists/professionals like my mentors. However, having thought of it for a few days, for me, if anything it is to pass on the power of transformative and interdisciplinary education and leadership, such as what I was privileged to gain at USN to many others back home who lack the opportunities to nurture a truly fulfilling career. As I continue my work in Sri Lanka and beyond, I embody the spirit of my USN’s interdisciplinarity and the Shine 50 Awards—leading the way toward a more equitable, just, and sustainable future striving for a world where more women can take up leadership and reclaim public space.