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Three years since the end of the war and Sri Lanka still struggles to respond to some of its long standing challenges. While there is an absence of armed conflict, there has been little progress in a realizing a just and equal society where dissent is accepted and diversity celebrated. Civil society and academia on the other hand, continue to imagine and advocate for alternative visions for the country based on an equitable distribution of resources, a respect for diverse identities, and a tolerance of dissent.The International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) has a long commitment to the values of plurality, inclusivity, dissent and critical scholarship. Building on this legacy, the ICES will host a conference that seeks to intellectually seize the current historical juncture and to make it a site for fresh insights into the emerging socio-political and cultural configurations of post-war Sri Lankan society. Regional and international perspectives will be integrated into the discussions, enabling the Sri Lankan experience to be contextualized within larger regional and global trends. The conference will bring together local and internationally based scholars and artistes working on Sri Lanka and other post-war societies to create a space for dialogue and engagement. We hope that it will result in a rich body of critical literature and artwork that will contribute to the conceptualization of a more ‘just and equitable future’. I am writing to find out if you would be willing to present an academic paper; present an innovative narrative, performance or documentary; or be part of a panel, on any of the following broad thematic areas: ·         Aesthetics of dominance and resistance·         Media, discourse and the construction of reality(ies)·         Politics of recognition and difference·         Political economy and distributive justice·         Narratives of belonging and exclusion·         Governmentality, welfare and the discourses of development·         Faith, ideology and secularism·         Law, legitimacy/ illegitimacy and justice/ injustice·         Memory, memorialisation, remembering and forgetting·         Social movements and micro politics The ICES is happy to consider contributions outside of these themes so long as they are within the overall framework of the conference. Attached to this mail is a more detailed note that provides the background to the meeting and the conference objectives. I do hope you will consider being part of this initiative and make a strong contribution. Please find attached the concept for the conference : ICES - ETHICAL FUTURES CONCEPT NOTE(1)Source: ICES