The Social Science Research Council has launched a website featuring essays on numerous aspects of the September 11 disaster and its aftermath by some of the world’s leading social scientists. Called “After September 11: Perspectives from the Social Sciences”, the website brings extensive theoretical perspectives and knowledge to bear on the questions raised by tragedy and aims to provide the public and academic community with a deeper level of analysis than can be found on Op-Ed pages or talk shows.

The website, which now features close to 40 essays, grows daily, with more than 50 social scientists having agreed to submit writings for the project. Contributors include Olivier Roy, France’s leading expert on political Islam, writing on neo-fundamentalism; Barry Eichengreen, a noted economic historian, assessing the impact of September 11 on global finance and financial institutions; and leading political scientist Seyla Benhabib, addressing how recent terror networks challenge the boundaries of democratic states.

“The immediacy of the current crisis presents an unusual challenge for social scientists, who are accustomed to looking at dramatic events with great hindsight,” says SSRC president Craig Calhoun. “But we need to make space in the public consciousness for commentaries that take up questions in which people have competence, not just opinions.”

The website is particularly helpful for teachers—college and university instructors as well as those at the secondary level—who want to address unfolding events in their courses from the perspectives of the social sciences. It is also a useful tool for journalists who seek a wider set of viewpoints and solid analytical thinking on the issues at hand. By mid-January, the website will feature a teaching guide to facilitate educators’ use of the essays in their lessons.

"Given the complexity of issues surrounding September 11, from civil rights, to refugees, to Islam, this project is extremely important," says Lisa Anderson, Dean of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a member of the Council’s Board of Directors. "Policy makers and the public alike need the knowledge and diverse perspectives offered by these distinguished social scientists."

Some material from the website will form the basis of a book series that the SSRC will launch in the coming year with the New Press, offering social scientific analyses of developments surrounding September 11.

The Social Science Research Council is an independent, nonprofit organization established more than 75 years ago. Based in New York City, it seeks to advance social science throughout the world, and supports interdisciplinary research, education and scholarly exchange on every continent.