School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS)

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS)
Name	School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences
Native name	École des hautes études en sciences sociales
Established	1947
Type	Public graduate institution
City	Paris
Country	France

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School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) is a Paris-based graduate institution specializing in interdisciplinary research in the social sciences. Founded in the aftermath of World War II, EHESS has been associated with prominent figures from École normale supérieure (Paris), Collège de France, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV), and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. The institution maintains intensive doctoral programs and research centres that connect to international networks such as Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), London School of Economics, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Max Planck Society.

History

EHESS was created in 1947 by reformers influenced by Fernand Braudel, Lucien Febvre, and the legacy of the Annales School tied to École pratique des hautes études. Early affiliations included scholars from Georges Canguilhem, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Maurice Halbwachs, Raymond Aron, and Pierre Bourdieu. During the Cold War period EHESS interacted with institutions such as University of Chicago, Columbia University, National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Soviet Academy of Sciences through conferences and exchanges. The institution expanded in the 1960s and 1970s alongside intellectual movements connected to May 1968 events in France and debates involving figures like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, and Gaston Bachelard. In the 1980s and 1990s EHESS consolidated research units in partnership with CNRS, INED, INRIA, and Institut national d'études démographiques, adapting to European reforms tied to Bologna Process and cooperating with European Research Council grants.

EHESS governance features elected councils and direction by personalities linked to French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Rectorat de Paris, and regional authorities such as Île-de-France. Administrative bodies include a Board of Directors and Scientific Council with members drawn from Académie française, Académie des sciences morales et politiques, International Sociological Association, American Anthropological Association, and European Consortium for Political Research. EHESS research units are organized as joint laboratories with CNRS, EHESS Centre National, and international partners like University of California, Berkeley, Università di Bologna, and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Leadership has included directors and deans who previously held positions at Collège de France, École normale supérieure de Lyon, and Université Paris Nanterre.

EHESS offers doctoral programs, master programs, and specialized diplomas in collaboration with institutions such as Sciences Po, Télécom Paris, École des Ponts ParisTech, and Conservatoire national des arts et métiers. Research covers anthropology, history, sociology, economics, political science, demography, and cognitive studies through units linked to Centre de recherches historiques, Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale, Institut de recherche pour le développement, and international centres like School of Oriental and African Studies, Università degli Studi di Milano, and University of Tokyo. Major research projects at EHESS have received funding from European Commission, Agence nationale de la recherche, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. The institution publishes journals and monographs associated with Presses universitaires de France, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Éditions du Seuil, and La Découverte.

EHESS operates primary sites in Paris, with key facilities near École normale supérieure (rue d'Ulm), Jussieu, Rive Gauche, and satellite centres in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, and international offices linked to Beirut, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo. Libraries and archives collaborate with Bibliothèque nationale de France, Institut national d'histoire de l'art, Bibliothèque de l'Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and special collections connected to Fonds Pierre Vidal-Naquet and the Archives nationales (France). EHESS maintains seminar rooms, computer clusters supported by RENATER, and fieldwork resources coordinated with World Bank, UNESCO, and UNDP for applied research.

EHESS is regarded as a leading centre in humanities and social sciences, frequently compared to London School of Economics, University of Chicago, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in subject rankings and reputational surveys by organizations like Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, and Academic Ranking of World Universities. Its prominence is reflected in citation networks involving journals such as Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, Critique, Revue Française de Sociologie, and monographs published with Presses de l'EHESS.