About Centre for Social Studies

The Center for Social Studies (CES) was created at the University of Coimbra four years after April 25, 1974, date of the Carnation Revolution and has since been headed by the sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos.

The CES is today a scientific institution dedicated to advanced research and training in the social sciences and humanities. It has a large group of researchers (about 120) who develop their work in several areas. Among them are sociologists, economists, jurists, anthropologists, historians, specialists in the fields of education, literature, culture and international relations, geographers, architects, engineers, and biologists.

Over the last few years, the CES has experienced a remarkable expansion of scientific activity. Its research staff has steadily increased, research projects have grown, international cooperation networks have grown, cooperation with the outside world has grown, and its main instruments of scientific dissemination are showing signs of strong vitality. CES comprises five research groups and six observatories, hosts eight doctoral programs, organizes several advanced training courses, produces seven periodical publications (three of which are indexed) and one book series.

Since 1997, the excellence of its scientific merit has been recognized and, in February 2002, the ESC was awarded Associated Laboratory status, based, on the one hand, on the demonstrated capacity to develop innovative research on Portuguese society as well as on the current transformations worldwide, with emphasis on semiperipheral societies and the Global South, particularly in Portuguese-speaking countries; and, on the other hand, the involvement of the Center in matters of public interest, in particular in public policies and new forms of regulation; in the relations between scientific knowledge and citizen participation; and in the relations between the legal system and the reform of the administration of justice.

CES is located in Coimbra, a city of 120 thousand inhabitants in the central region of Portugal. With a history that dates back to the end of the 13th century, the University of Coimbra is the oldest university in Portugal and one of the oldest in Europe. On June 22, 2013, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (see more at www.ces.uc.pt).