Društvene i humanističke nauke u sutrašnjem naučnom sistemu Srbije
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES IN SERBIA’S SCIENTIFIC SYSTEM OF TOMORROW

Author(s): Mirjana M. Rašević
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Philosophy, Social Sciences
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: social sciences and humanities; qualitative research; foresight method; policymakers; Serbia
Summary/Abstract: In many countries, social and humanistic scientific communities are facing underappreciation compared to those of the natural sciences. Serbia’s scientific community in these scientific fields is additionally burdened by a series of problems. Most of them can be associated with the broader socio-political context that has existed in Serbia for quite a while. Science in general, and in particular its social and humanistic disciplines, are not mainstreamed, valued in the social sense or adequately financially supported. In addition, a considerable number of researchers are unwilling to accept contemporary trends in science. The topic of the paper was approached from two perspectives: through an analysis of the latest relevant publications and through a study based on the implementation of the foresight method. Precedence was given to the qualitative research-based approach of this method. The participants of the organised discussion, titled “A View to the Future”, were mid-career researchers with scientific/equivalent title in higher education in various social and humanistic sciences, employed with several institutes or faculties. The forecasting covered the period until 2030. This approach provided insight in the current challenges faced by social sciences and humanities in Serbia, the activities to be undertaken to address those challenges in the next decade, as well as in alternative stories about the life of a fictional researcher, based on two opposite scenarios of development of the country, these scientific fields and science in general in Serbia in the future. The selected approach aims to enable the policymakers to get a straightforward understanding of the contextual aspect of the status and prospects of Serbia’s future scientific system and, within it, the social sciences and humanities, and to motivate them to take strategic actions. The downside of the above concept is the fact that it is dominated by perceptions, expectations and fears of the researchers in the fields of social sciences and humanities.

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