The Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) at Peking University is an academic organization centering on the foundational disciplines in humanities and social sciences. Based on a four-month visiting-fellow program, our aim is to enhance interdisciplinary research and international conversation. The ethos of IHSS is to “inquire and inspire”. 

The academic activities at IHSS are organized through six clusters of research topics: “Early China and the Origin of Chinese Civilization”, “Ethnicity, Nation and State-building in Medieval and Early Modern China”, “Modern China in Social Transformation and Cultural Reconstruction”, “Chinese and Western Academia: Philosophy, History and Social Sciences”, “Comparative Studies of Multiple Civilizations and their Interaction”, and “Science and Technology, Arts and Humanities”. The six themes initiate conversations for scholars from different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. They lead us to rethink about history, modernity, China and the world, as well as the challenges we face in today’s globalized world. 

The IHSS is composed of a board of directors, an advisory board, an academic board and an administrative team. Scholars include faculty from various departments in Peking University and visiting professors from other institutions in China and abroad.