The ongoing transformation of scientific institutions in Serbia and the region, and their growing dependence on the EU funds, urges researchers to form regional networks in order to increase quality and importance of scientific work and resolve Problems of Social Sciences in Serbia. For a number of years now, the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory from Belgrade has been making systematic efforts to promote social theory by organizing conferences, public debates and talks that gathered some of the greatest thinkers of our age such as Judith Butler, Ulrich Beck, Rogers Brubaker, Wolfgang Streeck, Ruth Wodak and others. Simultaneously, the Institute promotes regional cooperation; through the project Figuring out the Enemy, it managed for the first time to attract some thirty, mostly younger Serbian and Albanian researchers from public institutions to work on the common topic of Serbian-Albanian relations and promote a lasting scholarly and cultural exchange in the region.
The activities of the Institute on this project are directed towards creating a joint strategic vision of founding an international network for the studies of engagement, which would gather under one roof a scientific community that would encourage public engagement and critical thinking, actively work to expand the domain of public debates and promote citizens’ emancipation and their greater participation in social life. The result of the project is a 2017-2021 Platform of the Group for Social Engagement Studies, designed as a systematic overview of the activities aimed at establishing international studies of engagement. The platform is available HERE.
The Project has been implemented by the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory of the University of Belgrade in partnership with researchers from the region and the association KPZ Beton from Belgrade, with support of the Regional Research Promotion Programme (RRPP) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).