Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
The 10th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences – 2027, with its theme, “Resilient Societies , Transformative Futures: Bridging Humanities, Social Sciences and Innovation” Join us to engage in thought-provoking discussions, expand your network, showcase your research, and contribute to impactful change on a global scale.
Prof. Gary Barkhuizen
Professor of Applied Linguistics
Faculty of Arts and Education
University of Auckland New Zealand
(Co)constructing narratives about who we are and the work we do: How, and why it matters
Narrative inquiry as an approach to investigating life, work, and identity has gained significant visibility and legitimacy in multiple professional disciplines. Despite this accelerated research activity, there still exists some uncertainty about what narrative is, and what narrative inquiry does. In this presentation, I present a framework for narrative inquiry that gets to the foundation of what the methodology is and how it works. I highlight narrative concepts and cover various approaches to narrative data collection and analysis, focusing on the field of language education. To do so, I introduce ‘narrative knowledging’, which refers to how we make sense of or understand experience (teaching, learning, identity) during the processes of inquiry. Central to my presentation will be the concept of ‘story’ – what stories are, how they can be used for research purposes and reflection, and how sharing stories has implications for understanding and transforming the work we do.
Prof. Hiroyuki Kusaka
Centre for Computations Sciences
University of Tsukuba
Japan
Advances in Methods for Urban Climate Research: Observations and Numerical Simulations
Urban climate research can be broadly divided into studies at the city scale (mesoscale) and the city-block scale (microscale). Each requires methods appropriate to the spatial scale of interest.
Mesoscale numerical weather prediction models are well suited to studies of weather and climate at the city scale. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the United States, is now widely used worldwide. By calculating atmospheric conditions from the surface to altitudes exceeding 10,000 m, with horizontal resolutions of tens to hundreds of kilometers and vertical resolutions of tens to hundreds of meters, WRF can predict and reproduce atmospheric phenomena across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, including cumulonimbus clouds, sea breezes, typhoons, and monsoons. Incorporating an urban canopy model (UCM) option also enables accurate simulations of urban weather and climate, including urban heat islands.
Satellite observations, radar measurements, and surface meteorological observations by meteorological agencies are also essential. These observations are indispensable both for understanding actual atmospheric conditions and for validating numerical weather prediction models such as WRF. Observations and numerical models are complementary, like the two wheels of a vehicle.
As examples of research at the city scale, this lecture presents findings on urban impacts on sea breezes and convective precipitation in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It also reports recent findings from studies of Greater Kuala Lumpur on urban impacts on cloud occurrence and interactions between heat waves and urban heat islands.
At the city-block scale, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are effective tools for predicting and reproducing air temperature, humidity, wind, radiation, and heat stress at spatial resolutions of a few meters. Because existing surface meteorological observations alone cannot adequately capture atmospheric conditions at this scale, dedicated field measurements and drone-based observations are needed. We have developed our own City-LES model as a method for high-resolution simulations at the city-block scale.
This lecture demonstrates how accurately City-LES can reproduce fine-scale spatial variations in urban surface temperature, airflow, and heat stress. It also explores the potential of heat mitigation measures, such as street trees, green walls, and mist spraying, to support urban adaptation to a warming climate.
Mary-Lee Mulholland
Chair and Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Faculty of Arts, University of Mount Royal
Canada
Killer Instinct: Fear, Violence, Gender and Race in Self-Defence Practices
Personal self-defence in North America occupies a complex historical intersection, drawing on the techniques and philosophical traditions of Asian martial arts, World War II combatives, and core principles of situational awareness and avoidance. Today, self-defence has expanded into a multi-million-dollar industry offering diverse programs ranging from combative responses to “stranger danger” to educational sexual assault resistance initiatives. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in self-defence classes alongside qualitative analysis of instructional media—including manuals, websites, videos, and expert commentaries—this paper examines the growing reliance on scientific and pseudo-scientific discourses (such as neuroscience, psychology, evolutionary biology, and evolutionary psychology) to legitimate self-defence methodologies. Specifically, it analyzes how these frameworks construct and enforce rigid distinctions between biological (“natural”) and social (“cultural”) forces of violence and defence, and investigates how these naturalized paradigms shape and are shaped by gendered and racialized affect, embodiment, and pedagogical practices.
Snr.Prof.Shirantha Heenkenda
Dean
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Dr.Dilini Chamali Walisundara
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Dr. K.L. Thisara Sathsara
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Sri Jayewardenepura
The International Research Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) has
consistently provided a platform for academics and researchers to disseminate scholarly work.
While postgraduate students have participated in previous conferences, the introduction of a Graduate Forum aims to strengthen student engagement and provide a structured platform for emerging scholars within IRCHSS 2027.
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura invites abstract submissions for our upcoming international conferences. To promote linguistic diversity and inclusion while ensuring greater accessibility, this year we are running an experimental track.
Submissions are invited in Sinhala, Tamil, Hindi, Mandarin, Russian and Arabic but they must include a complete English translation within the same document. Submissions written entirely in English are also accepted.
Those with disabilities are also encouraged to apply.
Abstract Submission Deadline
Notification of Acceptance
Submission of Revised Abstracts
Early Bird Registration
Registration Closing Date
The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.