Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon

Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon
Alameda da Universidade
Cidade Universitária
1649 - 004 Lisboa
www.ul.pt

The ICS – the Institute for Social Sciences is a university institution devoted to research and advanced training in the social sciences.

Having originated in 1962 as the independent Social Science Research Group (GIS), founded by the social science pioneer Adérito Sedas Nunes, the ICS became an autonomous institute of the University of Lisbon in 1982 and acquired the status of Associate Laboratory in 2002, an achievement that puts it on a par with other Portuguese institutions of excellence.

Linking researchers from several different disciplines, the ICS currently focuses its research on five main subject areas: the formation of the contemporary world; the study of citizenship and democratic institutions; the problem of sustainability, combining the environment, risk and space; social changes and individual action in the context of the family, lifestyles and schooling; and issues concerning identity, migration and religion. The main subject areas represented at the Institute are: Social and Cultural Anthropology, Political Science, Economics, Human Geography, History, Social Psychology and Sociology.

The central activities of the ICS include: publishing research in book form and in articles in international and Portuguese journals of reference; advanced education to the level of Masters' and doctoral degrees; maintaining a dialogue with the international scientific community; and disseminating knowledge in the wider community, an increasingly important activity to ensure the necessary interaction between science and citizenship.

Currently (2008), the Institute has about 80 researchers and 100 postgraduate students and is engaged in about 200 research projects. Close to sixty per cent of its activities are financed from its own funds, which are obtained on a competitive basis.

Role within FAMILYPLATFORM:

ICS is responsible for Existential Field 7: Social Inequality and Diversity, and for work undertaken as part of Critical Review (which includes the Lisbon Conference).

Staff involved in FAMILYPLATFORM:

Karin Wall is Professor and senior research at The Institute for Social Sciences.

Vasco Ramos is Researcher at The Institute for Social Sciences.

Mafalda Leitão is Research assistant at The Institute for Social Sciences.