Polity aims to advance democratic consciousness, gender equality, state reform, and social change in Sri Lanka, while interested in South Asia and the World.
As its predecessor Pravada (1991-2002), Polity is published by the Social Scientists’ Association in Colombo, with critical content on politics, political economy, history, women, ethnicity, sexualities, religion, labour studies, agrarian relations, nationalisms, violence, ecology, and much more.
Richard de Zoysa in the Classroom
Vihanga Perera
Richard de Zoysa was abducted from his home on the night of 18 February 1990, brutally killed, and body discarded....
The Ritual Sacrifice of Richard de Zoysa: “Not really one of us, hence one of them”
Dhanuka Bandara
In Violence and the Sacred, René Girard (1979) understands ritual sacrifice as a means of stalling the cycle of...
Richard de Zoysa: A Legacy of Injustice and Resistance
Manikya Kodithuwakku
This year marks the 35th death anniversary of journalist, human rights activist, and actor, Richard de Zoysa. As de...
Me Kauda? Monawada Karanne? The Potential Futures of an “Alternative World” and the Political Legacy of Richard de Zoysa
Prabha Manuratne
Me Kauda? Monawada Karanne? (‘Who is he? What is he doing?’) was the title of a play, allegedly, that got Richard de...
Words to Kill a Man, and Free a Man
Kanya D’Almeida
In the early months of 2012, I inherited two troves of literature. I had been hunting for one of them for years; the...
Question – கேள்வி
Cheran Rudhramoorthy (trans. Anushiya Ramaswamy)
The moon, shredded, hangs onthe fence; midnight.Yama’s messengers,who rend lives,tread on the falling leaves. Demons...
Current Issue
Out Now! Vol. 13 No. 2 (July – December 2025). 148 pages. #SriLanka. Politics. Cyclone Ditwah. Ecology. Feminism. Education. Justice. Domestic Violence Act. History. Culture. Work. Labour. Books. Cover Picture Sakuna M. Gamage. LKR1000 from the Social Scientists’ Association or Barefoot or SLBOOKS.lk.
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Archive
Pravada (1991-2002) and Polity (2003-) back issues available here.
Social Scientists’ Association
The Social Scientists’ Association (SSA) was founded in 1977, at a turning point in Sri Lankan politics, economy, and society, marked by among other aspects: the ‘open economy’ market reforms; deepening ethnic conflict; and the growing concentration of executive power. Its initiators were academics from public universities, seeking an autonomous space to grapple with these shifts; and to promote progressive political, economic, and social change.