Ramesh Ganohariti is a lecturer at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University. He has over eight years of experience in designing, teaching, and coordinating courses at the BSc and MSc levels. Since 2021, he has specialised in delivering courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods. Ramesh also serves as the Thesis Coordinator and Research Methods Coordinator for the BSc Security Studies programme. Ramesh’s research lies at the intersection of Citizenship Studies, Statehood Studies, and IR. He is the (co-)author of two scholarly books and has published several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His research employs mixed-methods, combining qualitative fieldwork, legal analysis, and quantitative approaches.

More information about Ramesh Premaratne Ganohariti

Ramesh Ganohariti is a lecturer at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University. He has over eight years of experience in designing, teaching, and coordinating courses at the BSc and MSc levels. Since 2021, he has specialised in delivering courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods. He has also led small-group seminars and supervised dissertations for undergraduate students. Ramesh also serves as the Thesis Coordinator and Research Methods Coordinator for the BSc Security Studies programme.    
 

Research Profile 

Ramesh’s research lies at the intersection of Citizenship Studies, Statehood Studies, and IR. He is the (co-)author of two scholarly books and has published several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His research employs mixed-methods, combining qualitative fieldwork, legal analysis, and quantitative approaches.     
 
His research has explored how citizenship functions as both a tool of state- and nation-building and as a weapon used to achieve (geo)political goals. In particular, Ramesh’s PhD examined the relationships among contested statehood, sovereignty, state recognition, citizenship regimes, and the politics of belonging. Drawing on the concepts of multiplicity and human and state security, his research examined how citizenship has been constructed in three post-Soviet contested states. This research culminated in the book Constructing Citizenship in Post-Soviet Contested States: Evidence from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria (2026, Routledge). 
 
His research also extends to broader questions of statehood. He has examined the rise of sub-state recognition in the theory and practice of international relations and diplomacy. His book Sub-State Recognition: The Politics of Recognition from Below (2025, Palgrave Macmillan, co-authored with Dr Gëzim Visoka) demonstrates that the agency and pathways of diplomatic recognition are far more dispersed and decentralised than traditionally assumed. By shifting attention beyond sovereign states, the book offers a new perspective on how recognition is negotiated and practised in contemporary international politics. Ramesh’s research has also explored how contested territories engage in sports diplomacy and construct sporting sovereignty as part of international engagement.     
 
Together, his research contributes to understanding how citizenship, recognition, and sovereignty are negotiated in contested political spaces and how these processes shape contemporary international politics.     
 

  Education and Professional Background       

Ramesh holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, Ireland (supervised by Dr Gëzim Visoka and Prof. Dr Donnacha Ó Beacháin). To pursue the PhD, he was awarded the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship by the Irish Research Council and the Postgraduate Research Scholarship by Dublin City University. Ramesh was also awarded the Raymond & Beverly Sackler Scholarship by Leiden University to pursue an MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Culture, Society, and Media from the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan.     
 
Alongside his work at Leiden University, he serves as a Country Expert for the Global Citizenship Observatory at the European University Institute (Italy). 

Publications