Religious Vesak to Cultural Spectacle: Case study of a pandal/thorana. https://iahr2025.org/welcome/ Religious Vesak to Cultural Spectacle: Case study of a pandal/thorana.

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Dr. Ganga Rajinee Dissanayaka stands at the radical intersection of memory, materiality, and meaning—a scholar who doesn’t merely study objects, but excavates the stories they carry, the silences they hold, and the futures they might illuminate.
As an ethnographer and art historian, her work transcends conventional academic boundaries. She specializes in material culture, critical museum and heritage studies, and participatory research methodologies—approaching each artifact not as a static relic, but as a living participant in ongoing cultural conversations. Her research centers on the provenance of Sri Lankan objects in museum collections worldwide, challenging colonial narratives and creating space for indigenous epistemologies to reclaim their rightful place in global heritage discourse.
Dr. Dissanayaka’s scholarly lens is unflinchingly critical yet deeply collaborative. She pioneers innovative methodologies that bridge diverse knowledge systems, moving deliberately beyond the confines of traditional museum walls to create dialogues where academic rigor meets community wisdom, where archival research dances with oral tradition, and where the past actively shapes more equitable futures.
Rewriting History, One Image House at a Time
Her doctoral research represents a masterclass in participatory methodology, unraveling the intricate social and political tapestries woven into 17th-century Sri Lankan Image Houses. Through meticulous ethnographic work, she reveals how temple art and architecture functioned as sophisticated political instruments, religious statements, and social contracts—demonstrating that sacred spaces have always been contested, negotiated, and profoundly human.
From Temple Walls to Global Stages
Dr. Dissanayaka’s impact extends far beyond academia. Her expertise has been instrumental in:

World Bank collaborations addressing cultural heritage and sustainable development
International repatriation initiatives returning stolen cultural patrimony to Sri Lankan communities
Documentary filmmaking that brings scholarly insights to wider audiences
Transformative history education projects that decolonize curricula and center marginalized narratives

Her current research explores the dynamic relationship between trade networks, Buddhism, and artistic exchange across East Asia—mapping how religious ideas traveled along maritime routes, transformed through cultural contact, and manifested in unexpected material forms.
The Scholar as Bridge-Builder
As a visiting lecturer at prestigious universities, Dr. Dissanayaka is celebrated not just for her formidable intellect, but for her ability to ignite curiosity and critical consciousness in her students. Her teaching philosophy mirrors her research approach: knowledge is not handed down but co-created, historical truths are multiple and contested, and every museum object contains within it a question about power.
Her publications in leading international journals have established her as an essential voice in critical heritage studies—someone unafraid to ask uncomfortable questions about whose stories museums tell, whose objects they collect, and whose futures they imagine.
A Voice for Voiceless Objects
In an era when museums worldwide grapple with their colonial legacies, Dr. Dissanayaka offers something invaluable: a rigorous yet compassionate framework for rethinking cultural stewardship. She proves that ethnography can be both scholarly and activist, that art history can challenge rather than merely chronicle, and that the work of cultural preservation must always be inseparable from the work of cultural justice.
Dr. Ganga Rajinee Dissanayaka is not just documenting heritage—she is actively reshaping how we understand it, who gets to speak for it, and what futures it might hold.