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.
Left Feminism in and after the Aragalaya
Chulani Kodikara and Amalini de Sayrah
The Aragalaya/Porattam/Struggle of 2022 constitutes an unprecedented event in democratic mobilisation and protest...
Samanmali: A Life on the Frontlines of Women’s Struggles and Working-Class Resistance
Kumudini Samuel
H. I. Samanmali (‘Saman’) passed away on 11 November, after withstanding years of illness with quiet strength. For...
The Im/Possibility of Justice in the Current Global Order
Kiran Kaur Grewal
It is such an honour to deliver the 2025 Rajani Thiranagama Memorial Lecture.[1] Having worked in human rights for...
The Great Flood
B. Skanthakumar
Cyclone Ditwah ripped through Sri Lanka between 27 and 29 November. The toll is devastating. Seven days later, the...
Of Heroes and Villains: Dutugemunu and Prabhakaran
Ruben Thurairajah
History in Sri Lanka has never been allowed to rest as history. It is not a settled archive of facts but a living...
Dying for the Target
Ishankha Singha Arachchi
The harsh working conditions faced by workers in the pursuit of ever-intensifying production targets have long been a...
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.