yaso Nadarajah

Yasothara (Yaso) Nadarajah is Associate Professor in Global Studies at RMIT University's School of Global, Urban and Social Studies. Her research explores human ingenuity, community engagement, and sacred investment through decolonial frameworks. She conducts global ethnography primarily with Indigenous and tribal communities across diverse geographical regions.

Her research examines:

• Decolonial methodologies in academic practice
• Community-based development alternatives
• Sacred economies and investment models
• Island spatiality and indigenous territories
• Transoceanic identities and diasporas

Nadarajah's publications challenge conventional development paradigms through critical engagement with colonial legacies and community-centered approaches. Recent work analyzes decolonization of academic publishing, experiential learning through study tours, and the relationship between island spatiality and indigenous identity construction.

She serves as co-editor-in-chief of 'Folk, Knowledge, Place' and holds adjunct positions at Centurion University (India) and South China University of Technology. As tribal elder in Papua New Guinea's Kukukuku community and committee member for Australia's Lake Bolac Eel Festival, she maintains deep community engagement that informs her scholarly practice.