R.L. Stirrat taught at the University of Sussex between 1976 and 2010. Since then he has been a Research Professor associated with Sussex, and makes a living primarily through development consultancies and research grants. He has carried out ethnographic research in fishing communities, forms of religiosity amongst Roman Catholics, and the aid community in Colombo. He has also directed two developmentoriented research projects in Sri Lanka, one concerned with coastal zone management, and the other with the role of charity and philanthropy in the development process This lecture will look at two processes that might have been expected to have a major impact on the village. The first of these is international migration, mainly to Europe. The second is the rise of small scale shrimp farms and hatcheries. The lecture will explore these two processes and present some preliminary conclusions.

Friday 17th November 2017 at 5.00 pm ICES Auditorium, 2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8