Conceptualisation and formalisation, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, experimentation in the humanities and social sciences

Find out more about conceptualisation and formalisation, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, experimentation in the humanities and social sciences research at CNRS Humanities & Social Sciences and its laboratories

Nowadays, approaches based on the conceptualisation and formalisation, quantification and analysis of data are particularly present in economics, linguistics, geography, archaeology, architecture and engineering applied to architectural and urban design. This is also true for experimental approaches implemented in the humanities and social sciences. Like history, sociology and political science researchers are familiar with large-scale statistical surveys and are also working on the renewal of quantitative approaches. Mixed methods intelligently combine qualitative methods, case studies and the analysis of massive data. Moreover the development of experimental approaches in the humanities and social sciences, particularly at the interface with neuroscience and cognitive science, has led to the production of a considerable amount of data as online and field experiments progress. There is a demand among researchers for replicability and the reproducibility/robustness of results which is at the core of the methodological thought process along those lines within the vast open science movement. These developments are situated close to the interface with other disciplines represented by the other CNRS Institutes such as CNRS Mathematics, CNRS Ecology & Environment, CNRS Biology, CNRS Earth & Space and CNRS Informatics.

Research centers and networks

SOSI - Open Monitoring of Societies and their Interactions

  • SOSI Macroscopes pour l’analyse de dynamiques sociales, d’opinion, de valeur dans les mondes numériques
  • SOSI Observatoire de l'histoire de la population française : grandes bases de données et intelligence artificielle

Houses of Human Sciences

  • Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société de Toulouse
  • Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Lorraine
  • Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Val de Loire
  • Maison Européenne des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société (MESHS, Lille)

Research Progam

  • CNRS Humanities & Social Sciences is involved in the TRANSFORM Priority Research Programme and Equipment or PEPR with funding from the Investments for the Future programme PIA4. Frédérique Aït-Touati and Wolfgang Cramer are in charge of the programme for the CNRS.
  • CNRS Humanities & Social Sciences is involved in the VDBI Priority Research Programme and Equipment or PEPR with funding from the Investments for the Future programme PIA4. Jean-Yves Toussaint and Gilles Gesquières lead the programme for the CNRS.

Chaire de professeur junior

  • CNRS Sciences humaines & sociales a proposé une chaire de professeur junior sur l’ « Intelligence artificielle en sciences humaines et sociales (IASHS) » en 2022. Cette chaire a débouché sur le recrutement d’un agent, affecté à l’Institut des Systèmes Complexes de Paris Île-de-France (ISC-PIF) à compter de 2023.