What Research Topics and Publications Does ICES Produce?

ICES (International Centre for Ethnic Studies) currently presents its research through a "Current Research" section that spans political theory, gender and local politics, and gender-based violence and women's leadership, with outputs published as books, research papers, and reports. The work is closely tied to Sri Lankan and local political and social questions, and the site also lists public events and a library in Colombo and Kandy where this material is discussed and housed.

Current research topics

The "Current Research" listings on the ICES site point to three broad strands:

• Political theory and liberalism — a research paper titled Three Contradictions of Liberalism.
• Gender, local politics, and representation — a research paper titled Presence and Influence: Local Politics and Gendered Realities.
• Gender-based violence and women's leadership — a research paper titled Towards a Safe New World: Navigating Gender-Based Violence and Women's Leadership.

A separate "Contested Histories" title appears as a book, and the site's featured event, "Contested Spaces and Shared Histories," signals an ongoing interest in history, memory, and contested narratives.

Publication types

ICES organizes its outputs into recognizable formats rather than a single stream:

The site's navigation groups these under "Current Research," with books, research papers, and reports presented as distinct categories.

Connection to Sri Lankan and local issues

The research agenda is not abstract. The gender and politics paper addresses "local politics and gendered realities," and the violence and leadership paper speaks directly to gender-based violence and women's leadership in a local context. Public engagements reinforce this: scheduled sessions include A Review of Sri Lanka's Judicial Response to Workplace Harassment, Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Sri Lanka, and Just a Phase: The Forgotten Lunar Calendar. These are held at the ICES Colombo Auditorium, No. 2 Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8, indicating an institution rooted in Colombo-based public discussion of Sri Lankan legal, social, and cultural questions.

Where to find and engage with the work

• Website sections: "Current Research," "Public Engagements," "Art & Social Change," and "Library" are the main entry points.
• Events: Public engagements are listed with dates, times, and venue (the Colombo auditorium), and each has a "Learn more" link.
• Library: ICES maintains library spaces in Colombo and Kandy, and the site references "The ICES Space Auditorium."
• Art & Social Change: This section hosts video work such as Whispers Beneath the Tree (available with Sinhala and Tamil subtitles) and Shadows of the Other Colombo, showing that ICES also communicates research-adjacent themes through film.

If your goal is to read the actual papers, start from the "Current Research" listings and follow each title; if your goal is to attend discussions, check "Public Engagements" for dated sessions at the Colombo auditorium. The site does not indicate pricing or access restrictions for these materials, so confirm availability directly on each item's page.