Polity aims to advance democratic consciousness, gender equity, 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.
Editorial: There is great disorder under heaven
Editors
The post-1990 world order—an ensemble of norms, rules, and institutions, informed by economic and political...
The ‘Radical Impulse’ in Music in Pre- and Post-Partition India
Sumangala Damodaran
From its second decade, the 20th century saw the need for a people’s art, a need to represent, unearth, popularise,...
The development of S.B.D. de Silva’s political economy
Shiran Illanperuma
For those who knew him or have read his work, the late S.B.D. de Silva could be considered one of the greatest...
Aid Interrupted: Reverberations in Sri Lanka of USAID’s Dismantling
Sandunlekha Ekanayake
Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrineIn a shocking move, President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ right-wing populism and...
Queer Representation in Sri Lankan Media: A Double-Edged Sword?
Kasun Kavishka
Queer[1] representation in the media is a polarising topic that has sparked many debates in recent years, revealing...
The Sarajevo Declaration of the Gaza Tribunal
Gaza Tribunal
We, the members of the Gaza Tribunal, having gathered in Sarajevo from 26 to 29 May 2025, declare our collective moral...
Current Issue
Vol. 14 No. 1 (January – June 2026). 134 pages. Gananath Obeyesekere Memorial. NPP and Neutrality. Iran Solidarity. Justice for Easter Sunday. Chemmani. Cyclone Ditwah. Flood Relief. Microfinance Bill. Peasant Politics. Lunar Calendar. Partitions. Women’s Health. Malaiyaha History. Diasporic memory. Mannar’s ecology. Aloysius Peiris SJ. Cover image Ranjini Obeyesekere. LKR1000 from the Social Scientists’ Association or Barefoot or SLBOOKS.lk.
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.
