Institute of International Social Studies
The Institute of International Social Studies (IISS) is an interdisciplinary social sciences research and development centre which carries out research projects.
The history of the IISS started on 4 October 1988 under the name of the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Estonia, which was made up of the former workgroups of the Institute of History and the Institute of Economy of the Academy of Sciences. In 1994, the Institute was renamed the Institute of International and Social Studies.
The Centre has undergone several changes. In 2008, two formerly separate establishments merged with the IISS – the Chair of Social Sciences of the Estonian Institute of Humanities and the Department of Sociology of the Social Sciences Faculty. Until 2015, the IISS provided sociology studies on three levels. As a result of the structural reform of Tallinn University in 2015, the IISS is included in the School of Governance, Law and Society under the name of the Institute of International Social Studies of the SOGOLAS.
The three research groups of the IISS take part in numerous Estonian and international research projects. The researchers of the IISS act as experts in analysing and shaping social life.
The research topics of the IISS cover various aspects of social inequality (or stratification) – gender, nationality, age, generation, education, position. Social problems have a very diverse background, as they are simultaneously influenced by many institutions and therefore experts of different areas are involved in the work of the IISS: economists, sociologists, educational scientists, political scientists. Besides studying the lifecourse of generations, the employees of the department have thoroughly treated the transformation of the social stratification of the Estonian society in the period after Estonia regained its independence.
In recent years, close attention has been paid to the issues of lifelong learning as a factor that shapes the life path and ensures social cohesion in Estonia and in the entire European Union. Another major thematic research area of the department is related to the issues of active ageing.
Contact us:
Phone: (+372) 6199 860
E-mail: rasi@tlu.ee