"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 research projects 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
of centers, 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 favorable 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 center 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.
