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.
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...
One Year On: Reading the NPP “From Below and to the Left”
Janaka Biyanwila
The National People’s Power (NPP) in Sri Lanka achieved a significant two-thirds parliamentary majority in the...
Declaration of the Peoples’ Summit towards COP30
Peoples’ Summit
16.11.25 - Belém (Brazil) We, the Peoples’ Summit, gathered in Belém do Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon, from 12 to 16...
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.
