Research, scholarship and exchange

About IRCHSS

Initiated in 2012 by Prof. P. Athukorala, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2007 to 2013, the International Research Conference in Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) was established with the aim of promoting research and scholarship within the Faculty. Since its inception, IRCHSS has become a regular and significant event in the Faculty’s academic calendar.

The conference has attracted scholars from Sri Lanka and abroad, providing a dynamic forum for engaging with current trends, emerging perspectives, and contemporary issues in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences. It has also served as an important platform for the dissemination and exchange of knowledge, fostering academic dialogue and collaboration among researchers.

Over the years, IRCHSS has featured numerous eminent scholars from different parts of the world as keynote and plenary speakers, further enhancing the academic significance and international reach of the conference.

Initially organized as an annual event, IRCHSS was subsequently transformed into a biennial conference in 2018, in response to the growing volume of research activities within the Faculty and the increasing demands associated with organizing the conference.

Previous conferences

9th IRCHSS 2025

Advancing Sustainable Development Research in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Conference Chair: Prof. Asha Fernando
Conference Secretary: Dr. Kaushalya Hewawasam

Keynote Address

Advancing Sustainable Development Research in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Walter Leal Professor of Environment and Technology, University of Hamburg, Germany, and Manchester Metropolitan University (UK)

Plenary

Exploring The Intersection of Music & Technology

Dr. K. Sashikumar Former Dean of Faculty of Performing Arts, Department of Vocal Music, Faculty of Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

Download IRCHSS 2025 Proceedings (PDF)

8th IRCHSS 2023

Seeing through Testing Times and the Future

Conference Chair: Dr. Tharanga Weerasooriya
Conference Secretary: Dr. Tharaka Ananda

Keynote Address

The Box of Delights

Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha

Professor (Emeritus), Sabagamuwa University

Plenary

Seeing Through Testing Times and Future: An Anthropological Perspective

Prof. Charmalie Nahallage

Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Plenary

Honor and Plurality in Hindi-Urdu

Prof. Rajesh Bhatt

Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA

Plenary

Reimagining the English Language Learning Landscape in 21st Century Asia: An Intellectual and Technological Adventure

Prof. Andrew Lian
Professor (Emeritus), University of Canberra, Australia

Download IRCHSS 2023 Proceedings (PDF)

7th IRCHSS 2021

Collaborate and Discover: Break the Barriers

Conference Chair: Dr. Sujeewa Hettiarachchi
Conference Secretary: Mr. Ajantha Kalyanaratne

Keynote Address

Anthropomorphism and Zoomorphism: Resolving the Praxis

Praneeth Abhayasundere
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Plenary – “Fruits Of The Forest: Sri Lanka And Its Global Prehistory”

Oshan Wedaegeᵃ, Siran Deraniyagalaᵇ, Michael Petragliaᶜ, Noel Amanoᵈ, Michelle C. Langleyᵉ, Patrick Robertᶠ, M.M. Pathmalalᵍ

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germanyᵃ,ᶜ,ᵈ,ᶠ; Department of Archaeology, Sri Lankaᵇ; University of Queensland, Queensland, Australiaᵉ,ᶠ; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USAᶜ; Griffith University, Queensland, Australiaᶠ; University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lankaᵃ–ᵍ

Plenary – “Toward Explaining Language: The Minimalist Perspective”

T. Daniel Seely
Eastern Michigan University, USA

Download IRCHSS 2021 Proceedings (PDF)

6th IRCHSS 2018

Crossroads: Where Humanities Meet Social Sciences

Conference Chair: Dr. Damayanthi Bamunusinghe
Conference Secretary: Dr. Nelum Kanthilatha

Keynote Address

Narrative as a Research Methodology in the Arts and Humanities

Prof. Mike Baynham

Professor of TESOL, University of Leeds, UK

Plenary

Integration of ASEAN Banking Sector Stocks

Dr.Jones Odei Mensah

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Plenary

Why Depend on Others? Why Not Thinking of Ours? A Methodological Approach to Conceptualization in Social Science Research

Dr. M. A. Shantha Wijesinghe

Department of Geography, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Download IRCHSS 2018 Proceedings (PDF)

5th IRCHSS 2016

Transformation for Empowerment: Moving Beyond Buzzwords

Conference Chair: Dr. Chitra Jayathilake
Conference Secretary: Mr. Senani Harishchandra

Keynote Address

Urban Transformation and Universities for Regional and Emotional Empowerment: Patrick Geddes as a Global Victorian

Prof. David Amigoni

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprise, Keele University, UK

Plenary

Transformation for Disempowerment? Culture and Small Nations in the Age of Globalisation

Prof. Scott McCracken

Professor of Twentieth-Century Literature, Department of English, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

Download IRCHSS 2016 Proceedings (PDF)

4th IRCHSS 2015

Today’s Vision Tomorrow’s Reality: Success Through Synergy

Conference Chair: Prof. Charmalie Nahallage
Conference Secretary: Ven. Dr. Madagampitiye Wijithadhamma Thero

Keynote Address

Compuphilia: Educational Reflections on Anthropomorphising our Computers, While Dehumanising Ourselves

Prof. Ronald S. Laura

Professor in Education, The University of Newcastle, Australia

Satellite Symposium on Reconciliation and Intellectual Spectrum
Speakers:
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha
Professor (Emeritus)Rajiva Wijesinha
Sabaragamuwa University
Sri Lanka

Prof. S. M. M. Ismail
Former Vice Chancellor
South Eastern University
Sri Lanka

Prof. T. Thanaraj
Dean
Faculty of Education
Horizon Campus
Sri Lanka

Download IRCHSS 2015 Proceedings (PDF)