Connecting disciplinary depth with interdisciplinary reach.
The Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Research Network brings together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to examine social life across disciplines and methods. Member-based and scholar-led, the Network advances research that bridges theory, evidence, and application across the social, natural, and applied sciences.
Founded in 2006, the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Research Network emerged from a shared conviction that disciplinary rigor and interdisciplinary reach must work together to understand the complexities of contemporary social life.
Its first conference at the University of the Aegean in Rhodes established a model that has since traveled widely—to hosts including the University of Granada, Monash University Prato Centre, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the University of Cambridge, the University of New Orleans, Universidad Abat Oliba CEU (Barcelona), Charles University (Prague), the University of British Columbia, the University of Split, Imperial College London, the Hiroshima International Conference Center, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexico City), Oxford Brookes University, Jagiellonian University, and the University of Málaga. These partnerships anchor the Network’s global reach, supporting multilingual conversation and cross-cultural perspectives on the social world.
Paul James, the Founding Chair and Editor (2006–2011), established its intellectual foundation through his work on globalization, social theory, and urban sustainability—foregrounding the need for cross-disciplinary tools for understanding social change. Gerassimos Kouzelis (Chair, 2012–2019) expanded the Network’s philosophical and political-theoretical inquiries, strengthening collaborations with European and Mediterranean institutions. Since 2020, Marcin Galent has served as Chair and Editor, bringing expertise in civic participation, migration, and European studies to guide the Network’s evolution, while Cristina Castillo Rodríguez serves as Spanish Language Chair, supporting bilingual participation and outreach. Together, this leadership has sustained a scholar-led, member-based community committed to bridging theory, evidence, and application.
Across its history, the Network has hosted influential plenary speakers whose work spans sociolinguistics, political theory, anthropology, psychology, cultural studies, and global social thought. Figures such as David Barton, Patrick Baert, Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Robin Blackburn, Gerassimos Kouzelis, Sir Jack Goody, Juliet Mitchell, Rom Harré, and Masae Yuasa have helped articulate the Network’s mission: to examine social life by integrating scientific, interpretive, and applied approaches. Their contributions reinforce the idea that interdisciplinary social science is both an analytic practice and a public good.
The Network’s publishing ecosystem is anchored by a multi-journal collection, including The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social and Community Studies, The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies, The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Civic and Political Studies, and The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Educational Studies. Together, these journals explore community systems, cultural practices, political processes, education, and the relationships between the social, natural, and applied sciences. Editorial stewardship, rubric-guided double-anonymous peer review, and multiple Open Access pathways support both methodological diversity and global accessibility.
Each year, the Network awards the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences International Award for Excellence, recognizing the top peer-reviewed article across its journal collection. Award-winning work reflects the breadth of interdisciplinary inquiry, ranging from cultural identity and educational theory to political communication, migration, and the ethics of knowledge—even including mixed-methods and conceptual-history studies such as the recent analysis of “active learning” in Japan. Recipients are invited to speak at the following year’s conference, further integrating publishing with the Network’s annual convenings.
Complementing the journals, the Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Book Imprint provides a platform for monographs and edited collections that synthesize cross-field methods and translate research into frameworks useful for educators, policymakers, and community practitioners. The imprint is intentionally inclusive—welcoming authors across nationalities, career stages, and disciplinary backgrounds—and supports both broad and highly specialized topics, with Open Access options available for global dissemination.
We are thankful for the leadership of the following Research Network Chairs. Under founding chair Paul James (2006–2011), whose work on globalization, urban sustainability, and social theory shaped the Network’s early agenda, followed by Gerassimos Kouzelis (2012–2019) and Marcin Galent (2020–, current chair), with Cristina Castillo Rodríguez as Spanish-language chair, the Network continues to expand geographically and intellectually, linking convenings with peer review and year-round collaboration on the CGScholar platform.
Current Chair and Editor
(2020 - )
Chair and Editor
(2012-2019)
Founding Chair and Editor
(2006-2011)
Current Chair and Editor
The International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences has a rich history of featuring the leading and emerging voices from the field. This includes:
Professor, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
(2006)
Head of Department of Sociology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
(2006, 2010)
Mellichamp Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
(2007)
Professor, Essex University, Essex, UK
(2007)
Professor, The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
(2009)
Professor, St John’s College, Cambridge, UK
(2010)
Director, Expanded Doctoral School in Psychoanalytic Studies, University College London, London, UK
(2010)
Distinguished Research Professor, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA
(2010)
Professor, Hiroshima City University
(2017)
Partnerships extend the Network’s scholar-led mission, linking universities and research centers committed to interdisciplinary social inquiry. Recent and recurring collaborations include:
