The Institute of Humanities and Social Studies of the University Research Center of the University of Ioannina brings together scientists from different fields of the humanities and the social sciences active either in theoretical or in applied research. The disciplines represented are to be understood in their epistemological autonomy, as this has been formed in the course of their historical development. At the same time, however, the Institute of Humanities and Social Studies aspires to be a center for interdisciplinary research and reflection and, in this sense, to build bridges among disciplines that traditionally concern distinct scientific fields. The Institute encourages, therefore, scientific synergies and aims to mediate among disciplines; the specificity of each discipline is not considered as a barrier but, on the contrary, as a possibility for fruitful interaction among fields usually perceived less related, if at all.
The Institute of Humanities and Social Studies understands research and teaching to be intertwined and interdependent practices. The relationship between the two permeates and defines learning as both an individual and a social process involving subjective experience. Therefore, the Institute encourages scientific practices which aim to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and society; knowledge presupposes society, it emerges in it, and it is produced for its sake. Consequently, the ethics of scientific research cannot but be a central question that concerns, more or less explicitly, scientific activity that takes place within the Institute.