Back in 2015, shortly after my MSc graduation, I briefly toyed with the idea of applying for a PhD and promptly discarded it. I felt that the timing wasn’t quite right – I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to stay in academia and had always felt drawn to the nonprofit sector. In the following months, I moved to Malta and naturally transitioned into NGO work. Earlier on this year, when I found myself starting a PhD amid a global pandemic, I chuckled at the memory of my so-called wise considerations over “bad timing”. As an external PhD student, I had already made allowances for predominantly online-based interaction with my supervisors and colleagues, but I most certainly hadn’t fathomed the impact that COVID-19 would have on the world, research activities and populations.
Aside from the whirlwind of change brought about by COVID-19, in recent years, Malta, the country where my PhD fieldwork is based, has witnessed a host of interesting developments. In 2019, the government put forward a proposal to reform sex work and trafficking legislation/policy, reframing the terms of the discussion thus far and the issues at stake in the process. New services for sex workers have sprung up in recent months and European organisations such as the ICRSE (International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe) have been actively involved in awareness-raising campaigns connected with the reform. Hence, despite COVID-related challenges, it is doubtless an exciting time to go out in the field.
Why a website?
Setting up a website a few months into one’s PhD might strike some as a rather vain and self-celebratory endeavour. Perhaps even a hazardous choice! Be that as it may, my main aim in crafting a space dedicated to my PhD research is to make it more transparent and easily accessible. My fragmented identity, both culturally and professionally, leads me to strongly resist silos. Academia could exist apart from the NGO world and the latter could fight its battles without the support of academics. Yet it is undeniable that there is much to gain from their interaction. While I intend to partly use this platform to pen my own virtual PhD diary, I sincerely hope that it will also serve to engender opportunities for broader inter-sectoral dialogue. It is worth mentioning that although my PhD entails qualitative and ethnographic work with individuals – including migrants – working in the sex industry, their views shall only ever be relayed here if they have already been discussed in academic publications before; they will always be presented in anonymous form and in full abidance by Leiden University’s ethical requirements.
My – rather ambitious – plan for the months to come is to translate sections of this website for greater ease of access. Stay tuned and drop me a line if you have questions or comments!
The views expressed herein are my own and do not reflect the position of Leiden University.