Congratulations to Suneth Wijeratne who successfully defended his doctoral thesis

Dr. Wijeratne’s dissertation argues that scholars studying diplomacy should also place humans at the centre of concern, rather than only states. It does so by examining how Sri Lankan migrant workers in South Korea engage in diplomacy through the functions of representation, communication, and negotiation. The dissertation makes an important contribution by centring ordinary people and communities in the study of diplomacy and international relations and showing how they matter.

Suneth’s committee included Dr. Lana Wylie, Dr. Marshall Beier, and Dr. Robert O’Brien. Thank you to Dr. Peter Graefe for serving as chair and to Dr. Randolph B. Persaud for serving as the external examiner.