The Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSH), founded in 2012, arose from a vision to provide a free-of-charge, uncensored educational institution dedicated to social sciences and humanities, established specifically in response to violations of the right to education and academic freedom. Quickly transforming this “unachievable dream” into a reality, the Netherlands-based institution was validated for its graduate program in Social Studies at EQF level 7 (Master’s level), providing quality, tuition-free education through platforms like the Academia Graduate School, AcademiX (MOOCs), and Agora (multimedia tribune). To sustain its mission of making accessible, uncensored knowledge a universal right, ISSH developed an Endowment Program, and in 2024, it was approved as a nonprofit tax-deductible 501(c)(3), regulated by the US Department of Treasury through the IRS
Here is a chronological history of ISSH:
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 2011 | The vision of a free-of-charge, online qualified educational institution dedicated to uncensored Social Sciences and Humanities was conceived, though it initially appeared to be an unachievable dream. |
| 2012 | ISSH was officially founded/established. The results of a year’s research on multiple solutions and rigorous efforts were presented and debated at the first ISSH conference. Subsequently, the first Persian-language university in the diaspora became an official reality. |
| 2013 | The second ISSH conference focused on establishing and producing an interdisciplinary curriculum that corresponds to the needs of Iranian students, and also examined the possibilities of forming the faculty. |
| 2014 | The application and admission procedure for the subsequent academic year began. ISSH’s graduate school was publicly inaugurated during its third conference, held in November in The Hague, The Netherlands. |
| 2015 | The first academic year of the graduate school began with 75 students. ISSH collaborated with UvA to establish People’s University, a TED-like platform intended to deliver brief public lectures and bridge the gap between scholarly works and the general public. ISSH was honored with the EU’s Active Citizens of Europe Award for contributions to sustainable development and global justice. |
| 2016 | ISSH was validated as a higher education institution based on the European Qualification Framework (EQF). Subsequently, its graduate program in Social Studies was qualified and classified at EQF level 7 (Master’s level). |
| 2017 | Agora (Academia Tribune) was developed and launched as a multimedia platform to provide ISSH’s educational content and publications. This platform was created in response to the demand to provide the outputs of approximately ten different ISSH projects running at the time. ISSH was selected to present at the UNHCR and UNESCO Mobile Learning Week. |
| 2018 | The AcademiX platform, a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) system (Coursera-like), was launched, built upon OpenEdx. This represented a significant step toward democratizing access to education, offering courses free of charge and with minimum requirements. ISSH was nominated by Scholars at Risk for the UNESCO ICT in Education Prize. |
| 2019 | ISSH organized the first International Conference on Contemporary Iranian Studies (ICCI), in collaboration with Leiden University. The first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), “Human Rights; Beyond Headlines,” attracted over a thousand enrollments and was co-instructed by twelve lecturers and practitioners. |
| 2020 | ISSH University Press made significant progress in digital scholarly content publication. ISSH teams developed advanced publishing systems and workflows using open-source technologies to facilitate the proper indexing and publication of multilingual journals, books, and conference papers. |
| 2021 | AcademiX hosted eight successful MOOCs, involving over sixty instructors, focusing on topics like Gender, the Middle East, advocacy, accountability, right to information, and cyber security. This collection was made available during 2021 and 2022. ISSH was again nominated by Scholars at Risk for the UNESCO ICT in Education Prize. |
| 2022 | ISSH’s five platforms were entirely redesigned, merged, and realigned using the latest web technologies after 1,200 hours of work. The first scientific books and journals were released in accordance with the new digital publishing standards. The Second ICCI was organized in collaboration with the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS). |
| 2023 | ISSH’s endowment project made significant steps towards its establishment. The ISSH Research and Innovation Center was initiated, focusing on interdisciplinary research and innovative educational theories and technologies. |
| 2024 | ISSH was approved as a nonprofit tax-deductible 501(c)(3), regulated by the US Department of Treasury through the IRS. The Endowment Program became a reality, receiving its first generous fund from Prof. Nayereh Tohidi and Prof. Kazem Alamdari. ISSH started the process of its second qualification for accreditation in developmental studies. The Third ICCI was successfully organized in Frankfurt at Goethe University, featuring more than 60 panels in English and Persian. ISSH (Iran Academia) was shortlisted for the Access, Diversity & Inclusion Award by QS Reimagine Education. |
Ways To Give
The need for independent knowledge has never been greater. ISSH stands for free, critical, and uncensored education that empowers change where it’s most needed. But lasting impact requires shared responsibility. Your contribution helps us sustain this mission, supporting scholars, advancing open learning, and keeping intellectual freedom alive for the next generation.
We thank you already for standing with us in any way you find meaningful.
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