Dr. Jo Hemlatha

Biography

Jo Hemlatha is a LSE Fellow with expertise in participatory, feminist, and ethnographic research methods. Their doctoral research focused on understanding cooperation, identity formation, care, and kinship within sex workers' activist networks at the intersections of caste, class, gender, and sexuality in South Asia. Jo has worked extensively in fieldwork with the National Network of Sex Workers in India, collaborating with activists and filmmakers to address issues of crisis, resilience, and celebration built through the sex workers’ network. Jo's postdoctoral research shifts the focus towards funding systems and bureaucratic impacts on activist movements throughout the region. They are involved in several open-access projects that bridge anthropology and advocacy, notably Almaarii, which explores visual anthropology of South Asian queer closets, and Trans/form, aimed at understanding anti-trans violence in India. Jo is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in the United Kingdom and a Junior Fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies (CATS). They have taught a range of core and specialist courses in anthropology, including kinship, sex, gender, and activism in India. Alongside their PhD in Anthropology from SOAS, Jo holds a Diploma in Narrative Practices and a Master's degree in Sociology from CHRIST University Bengaluru, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Mass Media with a specialization in Journalism from the University of Mumbai.

Research Interests

Experience