Council News

Council Update Archive

2021 ▾

• May
  The SSRC American Slavery’s Legacy across Space and Time launched a small grants program, the International Dissertation Research Fellowship program welcomed a new cohort of 64 fellows, and the Virtual Research Center on Covid-19 continued to publish social science perspectives on the pandemic.
• April
  Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta is the 2021 SSRC Fellow, the Council marked a year since the launch of its Virtual Research Center on Covid-19, Media & Democracy hosted a conference on “The Conservative Dilemma,” and the Anxieties of Democracy and Drugs, Security and Democracy programs announced a new research grant competition on “Democratic Anxieties in the Americas.”
• March
  Margaret Levenstein and Edgar Pieterse join the SSRC Board of Directors, a Mellon grant supports public scholarship platform development, Covid-19 Rapid-Response grantees publish their research findings.

• February
  The Public Health, Surveillance, and Human Rights (PHSHR) Network published a new report, the Media & Democracy program announced a new call for proposals for a workshop on “The Conservative Dilemma,” and Measure of America released its annual DATA2GO.NYC update.

• January
  SSRC president Alondra Nelson joins Biden-Harris administration, the Media & Democracy program presented a virtual panel discussion on the future of conservatism, the Council partnered with Schmidt Futures to cohost the Futures Forum on Preparedness, and MediaWell issued a CFP for a workshop on “Teaching Disinfo Studies in Higher Ed.”

2020 ▾

• December
  James Scott delivered the 2020 Hirschman Prize Lecture, the Council’s Covid-19 initiatives are featured in several news outlets, a new edited volume captures eight years of work of the SSRC African Peacebuilding Network, and SSRC collaborated on three episodes of SupChina’s Sinica Podcast.
• November
  The Council announced the recipients of the Just Tech Covid-19 Rapid-Response Grants, the 2020 Hirschman Prize Ceremony and Lecture will honor Professor James Scott, an event examines the aftereffects of the presidential election, APN and Next Gen announce new fellows cohorts, and Measure of America publishes A Portrait of Louisiana 2020.
• October
  The Council’s Media, Technology, and Politics initiatives examined the 2020 election and its outcome, the SSRC Inequality Initiative held a series of discussions on racial inequality, and the Council continues to publish new work on its Virtual Research Center on Covid-19.
• September
  Four Council programs awarded new grants and fellowships, the Rapid Response Grants on Covid-19 and the Social Sciences recipients are announced, and Cambridge University Press published the second volume in the SSRC Anxieties of Democracy Series, Social Media and Democracy.
• August
  The MacArthur Foundation awarded a $500,000 grant to the Council’s Just Tech program and Public Health, Surveillance, and Human Rights Network; the Media & Democracy program issued a call for papers for a workshop on trust and authenticity in an online world, and SSRC programs announced 25 new fellows.
• July
  The SSRC announces a new chair and members of its Board of Directors, the Just Tech program seeks applications for Covid-19 Rapid Response Grants, and the International Dissertation Research Fellowship program announces the winners of its 2020 photo competition.
• June
  The SSRC announces 2020 Hirschman Prize winner James C. Scott, the Council adds two new programs to its Inequality Initiative, Measure of America publishes a new report in its youth disconnection series, and the latest from the Virtual Research Center on Covid-19.
• May
  The 2020 SSRC Fellow is Aihwa Ong, seventy scholars are awarded International Dissertation Research Fellowships, the recipients of the 2020 Rachel Tanur Memorial Prize are announced, and the Media & Democracy program is accepting proposals for a research workshop on “News Quality in the Platform Era.”
• April
  The Council launches a Virtual Research Center on Covid-19, DATA2GO.NYC sheds light on the neighborhoods most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, and Alondra Nelson reflects on the past year in the 2019 President’s Report.
• March
  A message from the SSRC about Covid-19, MediaWell welcomes new Advisory Board members and sheds light on pandemic-related disinformation, and a forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Press/Politics features papers emerging from an SSRC Media & Democracy research workshop.
• February
  The Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean invites grant proposals; an event presented in partnership with Brooklyn Historical Society will explore “Election Coverage in the Digital Age”; the Academic Network on Peace, Security, and the United Nations convenes a workshop on disinformation, democracy, and conflict; and SSRC Labs now includes a free, interactive online course on managing qualitative data.
• January
  UC Irvine joins the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences, the SSRC sponsors the Summer Institutes for Computational Social Science, Measure of America launches OurHome.NYC, and the Mellon Mays Graduate Initiatives Program receives a two-year, $2,881,000 grant.

2019 ▾

• December
  Measure of America’s DATA2GO.NYC platform receives the Census Bureau’s Opportunity Project Prize and features in a new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, and The Immanent Frame launches a new project exploring critical terms in the study of religion and secularism.
• November
  The Council publishes #Islamophobia: Stoking Fear and Prejudice in the 2018 Midterms, new Religion Program initiatives support early-career scholars, the SSRC hosts “An American Dilemma for the 21st Century,” and nominations for the Hirschman Prize are now open.
• October
  The Council launches its new MediaWell platform to track and curate research on disinformation, a full-day conference marks the 75th anniversary of An American Dilemma, the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences conference explores the future of transnational studies, the APN and Next Gen programs receive a $4.4 million grant, and the Council welcomes three new program officers.
• September
  Experts will explore reparations at an October event presented with Brooklyn Historical Society, SSRC president Alondra Nelson cohosts a New Yorker Radio Hour segment on affirmative consent, a Mellon grant supports the HumetricsHSS initiative, and a new report explores the challenges of governing digital platforms.
• August
  The SSRC showcases its work at intersection of media, technology, and politics; the inaugural grantees of the New Interdisciplinary Projects in the Social Sciences are announced; a new essay series explores uncertainty in extreme weather; and the To Secure Knowledge report is presented at the American Sociological Association.
• July
  The Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network expands its reach and initiatives with a new grant, a new series spotlights the teams of scholars awarded Social Media and Democracy Research Grants, and former fellows reflect on the groundbreaking work of the decade-long Sexuality Research Fellowship Program.
• June
  The Claremont Colleges join the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences, Mary McDonnell to retire from SSRC June 30, and the SSRC launches an updated, expanded Items.
• May
  The Social Data Initiative announced the first Social Media and Democracy Research Grants recipients, Measure of America releases a new report and mapping tool, and the Strategic Learning and Evaluation program completes its comprehensive Vietnam project.
• April
  The Social Data Initiative issues its latest update, the SSRC’s Religion and Cuba programs receive new grants, Board member Margaret Levi is awarded the Skytte Prize, and Cheng Li joins the Visiting Committee.
• March
  The Social Data Initiative issues its February update, SSRC initiatives address timely topics, the Dissertation Proposal Development Program holds a faculty pedagogy workshop, and the InterAsian Connections conference spurs new scholarly publications.
• February
  Lorraine Daston delivers the inaugural SSRC Fellow Lecture, the Mellon Mays Program tackles the concerns of Black South African scholars, the SSRC Visiting Committee adds two new members, and the Social Data Initiative issues an update.
• January
  The Mellon Foundation awards the Council a $2.3 million grant to support the Transregional Collaboratory on the Indian Ocean, Lorraine Daston will deliver the inaugural SSRC Fellow Lecture on February 5, and the Scholarly Borderlands program explores the social aspects of climate change.

2018 ▾

• December
  The SSRC awards the 2018 Hirschman Prize to Sheila Jasanoff at a ceremony in New York City, the To Secure Knowledge Task Force’s recent report was presented at an event in Washington, DC, Measure of America celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new report, and the Digital Culture program joined with other key stakeholders to explore persistent problems in open scholarship.
• November
  The 2018 Hirschman Prize Ceremony and Lecture takes place on November 30, the SSRC welcomes a new Board member, and Measure of America launches DATA2GOHEALTH.NYC.
• October
  A new Items series expores social science perspectives on gun violence, the SSRC establishes a book series with Cambridge University Press, a new initiative will examine the impact of disinformation, UVC launches a network for Congolese scholars, and an MOA report lays out the economic consequences of youth disconnection.
• September
  The To Secure Knowledge Task Force issues its final report, the SSRC announces a new partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society, and Cyril Obi assumes leadership of the SSRC Africa Initiatives.
• August
  The SSRC will publish the report of its To Secure Knowledge Task Force next month, new partnerships support research and fellowships in Africa and Asia, the Digital Culture program launches SSRC Labs, and the Anxieties of Democracy program hosts panels and a reception at the APSA annual meeting.
• July
  The Social Data Initiative announces its first grant competition, SSRC president Alondra Nelson visits College and University Fund institutions, and Kristen Lewis assumes sole leadership of Measure of America.
• June
  Melissa Nobles and Jennifer Richeson join the SSRC Board of Directors, Measure of America publishes A Portrait of NYC, and the International Dissertation Research Fellowship program recieves a $4.6 million grant extension from Mellon.
• May
  The Media & Democracy program cohosts “The Consequences of Misinformation” at Brookings, Sheila Jasanoff is selected to recieve the Hirschman Prize, and the SSRC cosponsors the Science in Japan forum.
• April
  The SSRC launches the Social Data Initiative, President Nelson issues a statement on the 2020 census debate, a new Luce Foundation grant funds Asian studies initiatives, and the Council announces the Dignity + Debt project.
• March
  Measure of America publishes a new report on youth disconnection, The Immanent Frame’s tenth anniversary project, “Is this all there is?” comes to a close, and Ohio State joins the College and University Fund.
• February
  The Understanding Violent Conflict program announces a new fellowship, scholars respond to A Portrait of LA County, and InterAsia program director Seteney Shami coauthors a new book on global higher ed.
• January
  The SSRC launches the Understanding Violent Conflict program, the China-Africa Resource Hub moves to Michigan State University, Next Gen holds a fellows workshop in Nairobi, and Hirschman Prize nominations are open.

2017 ▾

• December
  Measure of America publishes A Portrait of LA County, Anxieties of Democracy shapes a research agenda on climate change, Digital Culture partners on HuMetricsHSS, and InterAsia recieves a new grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
• November
  Danielle Allen concludes her tenure as the 2017 Democracy Fellow; SSRC fellows, affiliates, and staff attend the African Studies Association annual meeting; and the SSRC asks for your support on #GivingTuesday.
• October
  Inaugural University Fund convening focuses on advancing social science, SSRC launches Media & Democracy initiative, and The Immanent Frame asks: Is this all there is?
• September
  A message from new SSRC president Alondra Nelson, the African Peacebuilding Network receives a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Abe Fellowship Program launches the Abe Fellows Global Forum.
• August
  The media looks to Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project director Leon Sigal for North Korea policy expertise, SSRC president Ira Katznelson discusses affirmative action for whites in a New York Times op-ed, and The Immanent Frame website has a new look.
• July
  Items publishes new Democracy Papers, Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project director Leon Sigal provides expert testimony on at a Senate subcommittee hearing on North Korea policy, and the African Peacebuilding Network announces its 2017 grantees.
• June
  The Council honors outgoing president Ira Katznelson, Measure of America launches its NYC Community Portraits website, and the InterAsia Program announces the 2017 recipients of the Transregional Research Junior Scholar Fellowship.
• May
  Fellows and grantees share their stories on Research Matters, the Digital Culture program issues a call for Data Stories, and Measure of America is cited in the New York Times.
• April
  Amartya Sen accepts the 2016 Hirschman Prize at a ceremony at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Abe Fellowship Program announces its 2017 cohort, and Measure of America research informs a New York magazine piece.
• March
  Measure of America releases the latest report in its Youth Disconnection series, the DSD program cohost a panel on “Alternatives to Incarceration,” and CPPF publishes a new set of SSRC Working Papers.
• February
  The DPD Program announces its University Initiative partners, the SSRC names its next president, and the InterAsia Program launched a new website for its Transregional Virtual Research Institute.
• January
  Measure of America launches the Common Good Forecaster, APN holds a workshop for its 2016 cohort, and the IIAS-SSRC Winter School on Media Activism and Postcolonial Futures takes place at the Chinese University of Hong Kong

2016 ▾

• December
  The SSRC publishes the seventh volume of the Advancing Transitional Justice Series, the APN co-organizes a policy roundtable, and Amartya Sen wins the 2016 Hirschman Prize.
• November
  The Abe Fellowship Program celebrates its 25th anniversary, Items launches a new series on “Reading Racial Conflict,” and Measure of America updates DATA2GO.NYC with the latest available data.

2015 ▾

• November
  CPPF deputy director Tatiana Carayannis and IDRF fellow Louisa Lombard (2009) coedit Making Sense of the Central African Republic, the Anxieties of Democracy program hosts a lecture and dialogue on “Equality in a New Age of Inequalities,” and Measure of America announces the DATA2GO.NYC Visualization Challenge.
• October
  The SAGE Handbook of Research Management released; the inaugural Social Science After Hours to open with a presentation of DATA2GO.NYC by Measure of America; and the Carnegie Corporation profiles the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, headed by program director Seteney Shami.
• September
  Measure of America to launch DATA2GO.NYC; SSRC fellows publish books on Drugs, Thugs, and Diplomats: U.S. Policymaking in Colombia, and more; and The Immanent Frame looks at Cosmology and the Environment.
• July
  New reports reveal realities of race in America; The Decent City initiative cohosts an international debate in Barcelona, Spain; and the African Peacebuilding Network releases a policy brief on Nigeria’s 2015 elections.
• May
  IDRF Photo Competition winners; board member Margaret Levi elected to the National Academy of Sciences; and SSRC fellows publish books, from Remixing Reggaetón to The Killing Consensus, based on their fellowship research.
• April
  Implications of Normalization: Scholarly Perspectives on U.S.-Cuban Relations launches, The Immanent Frame looks at the intellectual genealogy of ISIS, and the Council remembers Visiting Committee member Norman H. Nie.
• March
  Hirschman Prize awarded to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab; University Fund for the Social Sciences announced; and fellows published in the Hispanic American Historical Review, South Asian Studies, and more.
• February
  “Why Prayer? A Conference on New Directions in the Study of Prayer” held at Columbia University; Harvard professor John Comaroff on the sociology of criminology both in Cape Town and Ferguson, Missouri; and scholars respond to the Charlie Hebdo attack at The Immanent Frame.
• January
  The SSRC’s 90th Anniversary Celebration; a new Drugs, Security and Democracy working paper on research security; and community policing by African chiefs through social media.

2014 ▾

• December
  Measure of America releases A Portrait of California 2014–2015, Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project director Leon Sigal discusses denuclearization through gradual reconciliation, and “The Social Cost of Shrimp in Bangladesh.”
• October
  Diaspora Lobbies and the US Government, new SSRC Research Snapshot on grasses and empire, and the InterAsia Program’s “Media as Activism” conference in New Delhi.
• September
  The Education Research Program releases Aspiring Adults Adrift, Tanur Prize winners announced, and “Why Do Americans Stink at Math?”
• July
  The Decent City initiative releases The Cities Papers, new Measure of America report on opportunity, and a The Immanent Frame piece on religious freedom is featured at Salon.
• June
  New Anxieties of Democracy program, DSD fellows discuss their research in the latest On the Line podcast, and president Ira Katznelson speaks on the architecture of fear at the Museum of Modern Art.
• May
  A digital demonstration of Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa, new SSRC Working Papers, and two fellow cohorts announced.
• April
  Highlights from the 2014 IDRF Photo Competition, the SSRC announces Albert O. Hirschman Prize recipients, and Reverberations is nominated for a Webby Award.
• March
  China-Africa Knowledge Project launches digital resource hub, first in DSD Working Paper Series on Research Security is released, and how Ms. Marvel will save the world.
• February
  New Digital Culture program and Creative Commons license, the Cuba Program’s Hemingway Document Preservation Project comes to fruition, and the latest North Korea Chronology.
• January
  New books on Jürgen Habermas and on transitional justice, the African Peacebuilding Network’s conference in Nigeria, and thoughts on the “disenchanted enchantment” of Ludwig Wittgenstein at The Immanent Frame.

2013 ▾

• November
  The Children of Immigrants at School, Measure of America in the news, and a new essay series at Reverberations.
• October
  New research from Measure of America, 22 Ideas to Fix the World out from NYU Press/SSRC, and new Kujenga Amani feature section.
• September
  New titles from NYU Press and the SSRC, Academically Adrift in the news, and Fourth Wave is available for download.
• July
  New Fellow cohorts, DPDF Fellow Spotlight videos, and a new Off the Cuff series from The Immanent Frame.
• June
  The Measure of America 2013-2014, an interactive map on Transitional Justice, and new essays from SSRC Forums.
• May
  DPDF 2013 cohort, staff publications, and new coverage of the Religion program.
• April
  IDRF Photo Competition winners, SSRC Press Release on NSF funding, and new essays from SSRC Forums African Futures and Kujenga Amani.
• March
  Announcing Engaging Eurasia, and Reverberations Forums, new analysis of North Korea, reviews of Ira Katznelson’s new book, and Fellow news.
• February
  Meeting on sexual violence and HIV transmission, Ira Katznelson’s book Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time, and new essays from Kujenga Amani and African Futures.
• January
  The Immanent Frame now in its sixth year, Eurasia Program policy briefs, and the second workshop of the CASS-SSRC Seminar Series on Migration, Social Development and Social Protection.

2012 ▾

• November
  SSRC Forum Kujenga Amani launches, a new Research Snapshot, and the publication of Displaced: Life in the Katrina Diaspora.
• October
  DSD Video and Podcasts, NDSP Grantees, and new SSRC Staff Publications.
• September
  One In Seven, African Futures relaunch, Eurasia fellow profiles.
• August
  Transitional Justice and Displacement, Measure of America impact, Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum workshop.
• July
  Rachel Tanur Prize winners announced, New essay series at The Immanent Frame, Review of Possible Futures series.
• June
  Katznelson named next SSRC president, 2012 IDRF cohort, Arab Uprisings
• May
  Picturing Algeria, Measure of America on NBC, What Matters?
• April
  Fellows Map, Book Exchange, Women’s Well-Being report
• March
  Benedict Anderson awarded Hirschman Prize, African Peacebuilding Program
• February
  African Futures, Tanur Prize, New Voices, China-Africa knowledge networks
• January
  Calhoun to LSE, follow-up to Academically Adrift, A Portrait of Marin

2011 ▾

• November
  Possible Futures forum, Copy Culture report, “Who Needs Knowledge?”
• October
  Research on Prayer RFP, recession earnings changes
• September
  10 Years after September 11, Qatar, Perú, Fernando Coronil
• July
  Science, ethics, Title VI funding, Preventing a Nuclear North Korea
• June
  African Social Sciences Fellowship, Public-Private Partnerships report
• May
  A Portrait of California, fellowship announcements, Inter-Asia Conference
• April
  Possible Futures, A Portrait of California launch
• March
  Media Piracy, Recovery in Japan, Common Good Forecaster
• February
  Power of Religion, Media Piracy, Middle East coverage
• January
  Academically Adrift, Hirschman Prize, Inter-Asian Connections

2010 ▾

• November
  DPDF Research Fields, interactive maps, new LSE partnership
• October
  LASDD Fellowship, AHDP book launch, Forced Migration Review
• September
  Items & Issues online, Obama’s Bank book, cellphones as schoolwork?
• August
  New book on Robert K. Merton, rebuilding Haiti, photo competition winners
• July
  World Social Science Report, Rethinking Secularism, Joan Scott interview
• June
  Vietnam’s Helmet Day report, IDRF book fellow, Islam grants program awards
• May
  New human development report, Disaster book, 2010 DPDF Fellows and more
• April
  Health care reform, higher education, Haiti reconstruction and more
• March
  Broadband access, disaster in Haiti, North Korea policy and more
• February
  Earthquake in Haiti, new book on Bailouts, Ukrainian elections and more
• January
  Burundian refugees, African citizenship, North Korea and more

2009 ▾

• December
  Fall of the Berlin Wall, Mannahatta: The Game, media policy and more
• November
  “Rethinking Secularism,” gender and security, perceptions of Islam and more
• October
  A Portrait of Louisiana, HIV/AIDS, Hurricane Katrina and more