Zahrah Rizwan
Areas of Expertise
- Sex Work Politics
- Leisure Economies, Intimate Labour, and Gendered Experiences
- Peace & Reconciliation Studies
- Violence & Mental Health
Education
- Masters in Gender and Women's Studies, University of Colombo (2024)
- BA (Hons), Major in English, Minor Economics & International Relations, University of Colombo (2017)
- Bachelor in Business (Double Major in Management & Marketing), Edith Cowan University (2015)
Zahrah Rizwan is a PhD student at the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Ohio State University. Her research interests include exploring the intersections of race, gender and sex work situated within the realms of intimate labour and leisure economies. She has a strong background in research and human rights advocacy in Sri Lanka and is adept at applying research methodologies in conflict-affected and sensitive environments. She also serves on the advisory committee for FRIDA The Feminist Fund, Asia Pacific region.
Publications:
- Rizwan, F. Z. (2025, October 22). Book review of Transgender sex work in Sri Lanka: The politics of Nachchi sex workers, by K. Ariyarathne (Palgrave Macmillan). Polity.lk.
- Rizwan, F. Z. (2024). Pandemic hustles: The impact of COVID-19 on commercial sex work—A case study from urban Sri Lanka. In T. K. Sundari Ravindran, M. Sivakami, A. Bhushan, S. F. Rashid, & K. S. Khan (Eds.), Handbook of sex, gender and health. Springer.
- Rizwan, F. Z. (2024). Kinships during crises: A case study of Nachchi sex workers in Sri Lanka coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. In R. Sinha & P. Basu (Eds.), Families and gendered violence and conflict. Springer.
- Wanniarachchi, S., & Rizwan, Z. (2024). Politicizing the virtual: Examining the internet at the intersections of gender and sexuality in Sri Lanka. In N. Ruwanpura & A. Mohamed Saleem (Eds.), Routledge handbook of contemporary Sri Lanka. Routledge.
- Rizwan, F. Z. (2021). Leisure economies and night clubs: Spaces for resistance from productive and reproductive roles? Geoforum
- Palfreyman, A., Vijayaraj, K., Riyaz, S., Rizwan, Z., Sivayokan, S., Thenakoon, T. H. S., Dayabandara, M., Hanwella, R., & Devakumar, D. (2024). What women want: Mental health in the context of violence against women in Sri Lanka - A qualitative study of priorities and capacities for care. Violence Against Women. Sage Journals.
- Palfreyman, A., Riyaz, S., Rizwan, Z., Vijayaraj, K., Chathuranga, I. P. R., Daluwatte, R., et al. (2022). Cultivating capacities in community-based researchers in low-resource settings: Lessons from a participatory study on violence and mental health in Sri Lanka. PLOS Global Public Health