A new way to teach and practice social science

The Open Institute for Social Science is a member-driven academic community. We believe that high-quality social research will be the substance of a more innovative, more compassionate, and more equitable world. To get there, we are searching for new and better ways to practice our craft.

Our mission is to build a network of social scientists in the places that global universities aren’t, locating ourselves in the contexts and geographies more likely to be the subject of knowledge production than the home to agents of it. We value academic rigor, critical relevance, engagements with unconventional kinds of expertise, and open access to both teaching and research. Our members draw from a diverse range of methodological traditions, but our work is rooted in the forms of autochthonous theory intrinsic to ethnography. Above all else, we believe that social science should be exciting, challenging, empowering, controversial, and fun. If you are interested in being part of this project (in ways large or small), reach out.