CIPSH, the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (Conseil International de la Philosophie et des Sciences Humaines), announces a new initiative designed to highlight and encourage existing research networks of centres of research in the humanities and to attract greater attention to the humanities worldwide and enhanced recognition of their importance in contemporary society.
The aim is to endorse and publicize the establishment as academic humanities chairs of such networks, oriented towards a general theme and headed by one chairholder, at universities or other recognized research institutions; the chairholder will be supported by a team of several associates in the host institution and preferably also in one or more other institutions and, if possible, in one or more other countries. Ideally, the designated theme or project should be interdisciplinary in nature, and one or more of the supporting institutions should be located in a country or countries different from that of the host institution. The initial appointment of a chairholder will be for a period of five years, with the possibility of renewal following favourable evaluation.
The new CIPSH chairs are not intended to be in competition with already-existing programmes, namely UNESCO chairs; in fact, it would be possible, theoretically, for an individual and a centre to hold both at once. However, it is hoped that the humanities orientation of the CIPSH chairs, as well as other considerations, will attract a broad and diverse pool of distinguished applicants, and that the designation of “CIPSH Chair” will carry with it a special prestige of its own.