The Institute for Human Sciences (Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, IWM) is an independent institution for research in the humanities and social sciences based in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1982 by Polish philosopher Krzysztof Michalski, who was the rector of the institute until his death in February 2013. The idea to found this Institute came to Michalski at the beginning of the 1980s during his stay in the Inter University Centre in Dubrovnik, which at that time served as a place where Eastern and Western scientists could meet. Thus, Michalski decided to relocate the institute to Vienna, where exchanges across East-West borders might be possible. After its establishment, the IWM had a strong formative impact on Western scholars. The institute enabled them to discover Eastern (underground) cultures of investigations and debate. It became a forum for intellectuals from both sides of the Iron Curtain. The IWM, along with others, brought to the Western audience the ideas of Czech phenomenologist Jan Patočka, which were “forbidden” in Czechoslovakia until 1989.
Today the IMW focuses on new and frequently discussed topics, which often contribute to discussions on various political, social, economic and cultural issues. Since its inception, the institute has strived for the frequent international exchange of scientists and for dialogues between scientists from various disciplines, groups and cultures – especially from Eastern and Western Europe – as one of the primary aims of the institute was to reintegrate the ideas and experiences of Eastern Europe into Western debates. This exchange also extended to North American, Southeast European and former Soviet researchers.
Research at the Institute is currently focused on eight different areas: Scales of Justice and Legal Pluralism, Economic Ideas and Institutions in Eastern Europe, Democracy in Questions, United Europe – Divided History, Religion and Secularism, Jan Patočka Philosophical Work, International Law and Multinormativity, Sources of Inequality.
The IWM is registered as a non-profit organisation. It receives basic funding from the Austrian Government and the City of Vienna. The instituteʼs projects and activities are supported by international foundations and sponsors.
