Researches

https://nias.knaw.nl/fellow/ganga-rajinee-dissanayaka/

My current fellowship project, “Transcending Borders: Cultural Mobility in Motion”, examines Sri Lankan ivory boxes, jewellery and statues housed in Netherlands institutions such as the Rijksmuseum and the Wereldmuseum. Drawing on a multidisciplinary methodology — including material-analysis, iconographic interpretation and object-based study — I trace the objects’ layered histories: their travels, political entanglements, social impact and evolving aesthetic value. By situating these artefacts within their broader cultural and historical settings, I explore how they have interacted with individuals, communities and institutions.Beyond purely academic inquiry, my work engages with urgent questions of heritage, provenance and restitution. In reflecting colonial legacies embedded in museum collections, the project contributes to ongoing efforts to decolonize museum practices and to foster dialogue and shared understanding between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. It emphasises the role of heritage in collective memory, cultural justice and social cohesion.
Why This Work Matters:Objects from Sri Lanka held in Western collections tell stories of movement, encounter, exchange and power. By following their trajectories, we gain insight into the intertwined histories of Sri Lanka and Europe, and into the ways in which cultural objects continue to shape identities and memories. This research places heritage at the heart of debates around justice, reconciliation and equitable knowledge production.

International Research Collaboration

• Provenance Research on Objects of the Colonial Era – NIOD-Netherlands:         https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/access/item%3A3283739/vie

Research Completed

• • The project report on THE COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY OF THE STAFF OF EPPAWALA PHOSPETE STATE LTD
  • The project report on THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA USAGE OF THE KUDAGAMA TRADITIONAL GYPSY VILLAGE
  • The project report on “WHAT IS THE SOCIAL PROTECTED SYSTEM OF MIDDLE EAST EMPLOYED MOTHERS” CHILDREN IN “SOLAMA” & “GURUGAMA” VILLAGES (For Ministry of Industrial, Rural Development, Youth Affairs, women, Fisheries, Housing & Constructions, North Central  Province, Anuradhapura.)
  • The Research of ANANDA COOMARASWAMY & PHILOSOLHY OF ART (For Department of Mass Communication – University of Kelaniya.
  • The Research of FILM & DEVELOPMENT (especially for Sri Lankan documentary film)
  • The Research of ONE OF THE CREATIVE RELIGEOUS COMMUNICATIONS IN NORTH CENTRAL PROVINCE.
  • Research of THE SRI LANKAN WOMAN IN THE SRI LANKAN CINEMA (specially for documentary films)
  • The Research of DON PHILIP DE SILVA EEPA APPUHAMY & NATIONAL & RELIGEOUS RENAISSANCE
  • A Study on Cybersecurity Awareness Among Students in YouTube: Based on Anuradhapura District
  • The Research of MURAL TRADITION OF TAMPITA VIHARA (For HETC Project- University of Kelaniya)
  • The Research of TAMPITA VIHARA IN SRI LANKA (For HETC Project- University of Kelaniya)
  • The Research of CULTURAL VALUES OF SRI LANKAN MINORITIES. (For HETC Project- University of Kelaniya)
  • THANKSGIVING AFTER HARVEST. ALIMENTATION FOR DEITIESRESEARCHES(‘Bath Malava’ is a ritual embedded in the agricultural community of Nuwara Kalaviya in the Anuradhapura District)