Human and Social Studies Foundation – Sofia (HSSF)

independent non-governmental organization

 

The organization was founded in 1990 as Association for disseminating scientific knowledge “Critique and Humanism” and in 2002 was re-registered as HSSF in compliance with the amended Act on the non-governmental organizations.

 

The mission of the HSSF is to promote scholarly exchange in social and human sciences by implementing research projects, a publication program and public debates:

  • Research Projects

The research activity of the HSSF is focused on key problems of contemporary societies. The main goal of the research projects pursued by the HSSF is to test and develop the critical potential of human and social sciences in diagnosing and analysing the challenges confronted by representative democracy today in Bulgarian, European and global contexts.

 

Our research foci are:

  • The European liberal project and the critiques of neoliberalism
  • Sovereignty, nation and citizenship – local and global contexts
  • Civil society and social critique today – between theory and practice
  • Imagined communities and their political uses
  • Everyday life, consumption and politics of ourselves
  • Power and resistances, legality and legitimacy today
  • Normative paradoxes in post-communist societies

 

  • Publishing Activities

The publication program of the HSSF includes Critique and Humanism Journal (two volumes annually, in Bulgarian language and special international issues in English language), the electronic journal KX Review (with book reviews of recently published academic works), and a book series Critical Studies.

  • Public Initiatives

The HSSF organizes regular public forums in a variety of discussion formats – seminars, conferences, debates, book presentations and others. A standing forum of the HSSF is the monthly academic seminar Challenges to Representative Democracy Today.

The HSSF works in cooperation with a large network of university centers, scientific institutions and non-governmental organizations in Bulgaria and Europe.

More about the Critique and Humanism Journal can be found here