Cape Town, 11 March 2014

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and its partners officially announced that the third World Social Science Forum (WSSF) will take place for the first time on the African continent  in Durban, South Africa, 13 – 16 September 2015.

The WSSF is a global event of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and brings together researchers and stakeholders to address current global issues and future priorities for the social sciences. The Forum promotes innovative and cross-disciplinary work, cross-science collaborations in the natural and human sciences, and engagement with donors and decision makers in the science community.

Professor Olive Shisana, former President of the International Social Science Council, will chair the WSSF 2015, with the theme “Transforming Global Relations for a Just World”.  A broad range of topics will be addressed under the theme, many of which are open to multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches.  

Shisana, who is also CEO of the HSRC, said topics will include global inequalities as it relates to governance; patterns of production and consumption; cultural exchanges; quality health and education; climate change and adaptation; and human rights and social justice.

“The action-oriented nature of the theme will allow the Forum to demonstrate the relevance of social science for public policies and social intervention,” she said.

In organising the 2015 World Social Science Forum, CODESRIA and the HSRC will be joined by a consortium of universities and research centres from across the African continent.

Heide Hackmann, Executive Director of International Social Science Council (ISSC) said that, “Questions about global social justice must be central in our work towards a post-2015 world, and the social sciences have a leading role to play in advancing our understanding of what that means and how it can be achieved. This is the work of the 2015 Forum”.

“At this forum we hope to deliberate on global transformations for a just world,  to learn from our varied experiences and  examine social science for knowledge co-production, public policies and social intervention,” Shisana.

For further information on the WSSF 2015, go to http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/events/events/WSSF2015 or http://www.wssf2015.org

End

Contact details: Ms Bridgette Prince, Director: Business Development & International Liaison on +2721 466 8000 or bprince@hsrc.ac.za.