School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences
Name	School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences
Native name	École des hautes études en sciences sociales
Established	1947
Type	Public research institution
Location	Paris, France
Colors	Blue and white

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School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences is a Paris-based graduate and research institution founded in the aftermath of World War II with the mission of advancing interdisciplinary study in the humanities and social sciences. It has served as a hub for scholars connected to traditions associated with figures such as Marcel Mauss, Émile Durkheim, and Claude Lévi-Strauss, and maintained intellectual links with institutions like Collège de France, Sorbonne University, and École normale supérieure. The institution is noted for fostering networks that include researchers from Centre national de la recherche scientifique, École pratique des hautes études, and international centers such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Max Planck Society.

History

The school was founded in 1947 by a group including Germán Coles, Roger Caillois, and Lucien Febvre amid a postwar reorganization of French higher learning that involved the Ministry of National Education (France), the Fourth Republic (France), and cultural institutions like the Musée de l'Homme. Early decades saw collaboration with scholars from University of Paris, École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris, and visiting faculty from Columbia University, University of Chicago, and King's College London. During the 1968 protests connected to events at Sorbonne and leaders such as Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the school engaged with debates involving figures from Jean-Paul Sartre circles and scholars linked to Fernand Braudel’s Annales School. Over time it developed ties with regional universities including Université de Provence, Université de Strasbourg, and international partners like University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, and University of Toronto.

Programs emphasize doctoral training, postdoctoral fellowships, and habilitation pathways in areas informed by scholars such as Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, and Jacques Derrida. Courses and seminars often intersect with curricula from École des Mines de Paris, Institut d'études politiques de Paris, and professional schools like HEC Paris. Graduate diplomas align with European frameworks including the Bologna Process and involve exchanges with University of Oxford, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University. The school hosts visiting chairs named after intellectuals linked to Maurice Halbwachs, Georges Dumézil, and Henri Bergson and maintains doctoral cotutelles with Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of Buenos Aires, and Peking University.

Research units and centers collaborate with CNRS laboratories, joint units such as UMRs, and institutes including the Institut national d'études démographiques, Centre de Recherches Historiques, and the Institut d'histoire du temps présent. Topics span ethnography tied to Claude Lévi-Strauss legacies, economic history in conversation with Fernand Braudel, and legal anthropology influenced by Hans Kelsen and Hannah Arendt. The school organizes symposia with partner institutes including Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, International Labour Organization, and UNESCO and has produced projects funded by entities like the European Research Council, Gates Foundation, and Agence Nationale de la Recherche. Collaborative networks extend to Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Academia Sinica, and Australian National University.

Facilities are distributed across Paris addresses near landmarks such as Place de la Sorbonne, Rue Saint-Jacques, and Boulevard Saint-Germain, with archives comparable to holdings at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and special collections like those linked to Émile Durkheim and Georges Bataille. Seminar rooms and laboratories share space with units from Collège de France, École des hautes études commerciales, and research libraries that collaborate with British Library and Library of Congress on exchange programs. Amenities support digital humanities initiatives integrated with platforms from HathiTrust, Europeana, and collaborations with technology partners like IBM Research, Microsoft Research, and Google Arts & Culture.

Governance involves elected directors and scientific councils, drawing on administrative practices influenced by the French Republic’s higher education law and mechanisms similar to those at University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université Paris-Saclay. Oversight includes representation from national agencies such as Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (France) and linkages to European structures like the European Higher Education Area. Boards include academic delegates with experience at Institut Pasteur, Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, and partnership liaisons with entities such as Conseil scientifique de la recherche and funding bodies like European Commission research directorates.

Category:Universities and colleges in Paris