IConArts 2024

IConArts 2024 was held on Thursday 21 November 2024 from 8.30am-6.30pm. The Inaugural Ceremony was held in hybrid format at the Conference Room 128, Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo.

The UoC Annual Research Symposium Theme was “Building a Sustainable Future through Impactful Research” and in keeping with this theme, the IConArts 2024 Theme was “Building a Sustainable and Resilient Future through Humanities and Social Sciences”. The Chief Guest at IConArts 2024 was Senior Professor (Chair) H.D. Karunarathne. The Keynote Speaker was Professor Emeritus Nihal Perera, Ball State University, United States of America. Professor Nihal Perera delivered the Keynote Address on the topic “The Pedagogy of the Illiterates” and challenged those present to explore literacy, illiteracy, research and education in the contemporary context.

Following the Inaugural Ceremony, there were technical sessions held across 12 sessions on the themes 1) Environment sustainability and climate resilience 2) Education in times of crisis and social transformations 3) Sustainable development and socio-economic challenges in Sri Lanka, 4) Navigating risk, crises and disasters, 5) Urban issues, migration and mobility, 6)  Language and literature: Implications for national development, 7) Literary and creative responses to social change, 8) Politics, social movements and social change, 9) Social equity, justice, and community building, 10) Conflict, abuse, and human rights, 11) Religion and social change and 12) Gender, social equity and justice. The chairpersons for these sessions were senior academics in the Faculty of Arts and those affiliated to the Faculty.

In the evening a panel discussion was held on the topic “Sustainable and resilient futures”. This discussion was moderated by Prof. Iresha Lakshman. The discussants were Prof Rangika Halwathura (University of Moratuwa), Associate Professor Vesna Posloncec-Petric (University of Zagreb, Croatia), and Mr Pradeep Saputhanthri (Secretary to the Prime Minister, Sri Lanka).

“IConArts 2024 was also sponsored by the Faculty of Arts, Social Scientists Association, Innovative-E (Pvt) Ltd and the Masters Programme in Financial Economics of the Faculty of Arts.”