The International School of Humanities (MSH)

The International School of Humanities (MSH) was founded in 1996 (as the International School of Humanities of Central and Eastern Europe) as an initiative of Polish and Ukrainian researchers resulting from their academic cooperation. It was transformed into the International School of Humanities in 2015.

The idea of Prof. Janusz Rieger (OBTA UW), complemented by Prof. Jerzy Axer (OBTA UW), was supported by US-based Ukrainian scholars (Prof. Roman Szporluk and Prof. Ihor Ševčenko) and representatives of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. In time, MSH significantly expanded its initial geographical outreach and now it addresses not only matters of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation but, more generally, of academic cooperation of Eastern European institutions.

The long-term goal of the MSH is the creation of a network of collaborating academic institutions in the region. The unique idea of the MSH consists in its program, covering the entire cultural heritage of the region, with special emphasis on the traditions of the Mediterranean Region as the roots of the culture of the region; another aspect is the interdisciplinary character of research. Special attention is attached to the identity of the participants in the historical context of national and religious traditions.

The MSH is tasked with the dissemination of modern theories and methodologies in humanistic studies. This is meant to support the formation of a new generation of researchers who are active in the disciplines which, though neglected in Central and Eastern Europe, are essential for the rebirth of the Humanities. Thus, the aim of the MSH is to create an international interdisciplinary community, capable of efficient scientific cooperation and therefore of filling the gap that could be infected by an ideology of primitive nationalism and ethnocentric fallacy.