Akangshya Bordoloi

My name is Akangshya Bordoloi and I am a 25 year old Assamese, Indian. I am second year research scholar and a tutor from Department of Sociology, Maynooth University Ireland, and my PhD topic is on ‘A Comparative Analysis of Sex Work Activism between Dublin and Delhi’. The aim of the research is to explore the contemporary forms of sex work activism in the two cities of Dublin and Delhi that are bound together by a similar colonial experience while focussing on the biographies of activists and their encounters with key stakeholder (politicians, law enforcement & health service agencies) in promoting equal access of harm reduction, health, and protection under the law in both jurisdictions. The research will contribute to understanding the relationships between sex work activists and key actors in civil society under a regime of criminalisation, as progress is made in developing initiatives towards peer-led health services and police liaison.

So, I will be travelling to India for a period of six months for my data collection but would primarily be based within Maynooth University as it is leading in humanities and social science research and the Department of Sociology is the epitome in improving the understanding and well-being of the contemporary society. The NUI Travelling Scholarship proves to be an ultimate goal then as it is one of the most prestigious achievement and only scholarship available to students that are interested in conducting cross country comparative research. I am confident that with the constant assistance, recognition, support and guidance, I will be able to generate powerful and impactful knowledge while contributing something valuable within the global sex work and gender deviancy discourse.