Social Scientists’ Association (SSA) was formed by a group of academics in 1977 in response to the emerging ethno-political tensions in Sri Lanka. It seeks to initiate and promote social and political transformation towards a cohesive Sri Lankan society through knowledge production, research and publications on issues such as ethnicity, conflict resolution, gender based and political marginalisation, democracy and human rights.

SSA plays a major role in Sri Lankan society as a research organisation that approaches the issues at the root of Sri Lankan conflict from an informed yet impartial academic perspective. The information produced and disseminated through the organisation is often based on original, ground-level research, thus drawing out the tensions and issues pertinent for the general public. Apart from academic publications, SSA carries out dialogue and workshop sessions with relevant local groups to facilitate knowledge sharing and building networks across different communities. The organisation works in English, Tamil and Sinhalese languages. As an academic publishing house, its publications are also issued in all three languages, creating the space for collaboration across language barriers.