Rate My Professor Thaatchaayini Kananatu

Thaatchaayini Kananatu is a Senior Lecturer in Global Studies at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, and serves as Deputy Head of School (Research). She earned her LLB (Hons) in Law from Cardiff University, LLM in International Law from Oxford Brookes University, and PhD in Arts from Monash University. Her academic career includes a prior appointment as Senior Lecturer in Law in the Business Law and Taxation unit at Monash University Malaysia's School of Business from 2016 to 2022. Kananatu's research specializations encompass socio-legal studies, law, politics, society and space, human rights, and criminal justice, with expertise in these areas within the Global South and capital punishment in the Asian region. She contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals including no poverty, gender equality, reduced inequalities, and peace, justice and strong institutions.

Kananatu has authored the monograph Minorities, Rights and the Law in Malaysia (Routledge, 2020) and co-edited Vulnerable Groups in Malaysia (De Gruyter, 2020) with Sharon G. M. Koh, as well as Gender and Sexuality Justice in Asia (Springer, 2020) with Joseph N. Goh and Sharon A. Bong. Notable publications include the chapter 'From the ghetto to the gallows: rights, race, class, and drug crimes in Malaysia' in Capital Drug Laws in Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2025); 'Framing death penalty politics in Malaysia' in International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy (2022); 'Race and criminal justice in Malaysia' in Sociology Compass (2025); and chapters 'In search of a better life: the lived experiences of the ‘Indian Barbers’ in Malaysia' and 'The everyday law and life of Indian ‘Expatriates’ in Malaysia' in Palgrave Handbook of Indian Migrants to South East Asia (2025) with Juliana French. Her awards include the Chevening Award from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK (1997); Monash Education Academy’s Travel Grant (2017); Research Talent Accelerator Award (2023); School of Business Excellence Awards 2020 for Engagement and Impact; and Monash-Warwick Alliance Education Grant (2024). She holds the position of Executive Member of the Asian Law and Society Association (ALSA) from 2026 to 2027, serves as a Fellow of Eleos Justice, and acts as Chief Investigator on projects such as 'Evidence-informed drug policy in South-East Asia' (2025-2026) and 'Penal pandemic: strengthening future pandemic preparedness in Southeast Asian prisons' (2024-2026). Kananatu teaches units on international human rights and global challenges, and supervises PhD students.