Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (HCAS)

“I don't know if there's a common ground for knowledge. I would say it's polyphonic. It's like a symphony that you're listening to when you're at the Collegium.”
– Kevin Durrheim, Erkko Professor 2025–26

For 25 years, the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies has brought together scholars in the social sciences and humanities to think, argue, and exchange ideas. To celebrate this milestone, we are proud to share a new video featuring interviews with current fellows and alumni.

Reflecting on the idea of an institute for advanced study, the video shares insights into how being part of the Collegium has shaped our fellows’ work and, for some, even their scholarly identities.

With this, HCAS thanks all friends, colleagues, fellows, alumni, and supporters for the past academic year and weeks of celebrations.

We hope you enjoy the video and have a wonderful summer!

Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies 25 years Anniversary video, first screened at the Helsinki Collegium for Adv...

Our 25th anniversary celebration weeks were aptly concluded with two events devoted to building a fairer and more sustainable world.

On Monday, we marked the launch of Jim Mittelman’s recent book, which examines how runaway capitalism is making work and everyday life more precarious. The very next day, Nicole Hassoun hosted a screening of the documentary “Creative Resolve,” which shows how solidarity and innovation can drive meaningful change in global health.

Both events sparked engaging panel discussions that reflected the warm and spirited atmosphere so typical of our Common Room.

Last Friday, Collegium's founders, fellows, alumni, partners, and supporters gathered to celebrate the institute's 25th anniversary. A day of reflection, conversation, and celebration, it brought together many of the people who have shaped the Collegium over the past quarter century. Here is a small glimpse of the festivities. A full photo report will follow in due course.

The ambiguous distinction between the artificial and the natural is currently being examined at HCAS. Participants in the multidisciplinary symposium “Artifice and Its Insecurities” are asking probing questions about the very foundations of this distinction, their blurry boundary, and the political and ethical ramifications of drawing a line somewhere between the two.

But is the symposium itself artificial or natural? It was designed and put together by our alumni, Tim Stuart-Buttle and Andrew Graan, yet it also embodies the social character that is in a sense, natural to academic work.

We already have some tools to understand what is at stake in this question, and today’s talks will surely reveal more!

The 25th anniversary celebration weeks of the Collegium got off to a great start with two events at which our Honorary Fellow, Martha C. Nussbaum, was the main speaker.

On Wednesday, a 100-member audience engaged in a deep conversation about the value and significance of the humanities. What would we lose if they ceased to be taught in schools and studied in universities? Amidst the obvious concerns, voices of hope were also heard.

During the next two days, attention turned to the tragic nature of human life. Prof. Nussbaum opened the workshop by presenting material from the manuscript of her forthcoming book on tragedy, in which she connects ancient wisdom with personal reflections. Other presentations by Finnish scholars and HCAS fellows addressed the theme from various perspectives – from literature to philosophy, and from theology to anthropology. As is fitting for an institute for advanced studies, our Common Room once again witnessed the value of hearing multidisciplinary voices on a unified theme.

The celebration continues tomorrow with a symposium on artifice, the main celebration will take place on Friday, and the weeks will conclude early next week with two panel discussions.

The Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week!

In a recent interview, our Director Hanne Appelqvist reflects on the Collegium’s role in giving researchers the time, space, and community to devote themselves to their research, even when its value cannot be known in advance.

“The musicians may change, but the music plays on” – Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies creates space for thinking | University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki’s Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Director Hanne Appelqvist describes its significance in the ability to give researchers the time, space and community to devote themselves to their research, even when its value cannot be know...

The Collegium's 25th Anniversary Newsletter is hot off the press!

Inside, you'll find our Director's reflections on the role of institutions in safeguarding the space and time required for research, our Deputy Director's thoughts on interdisciplinary work, and reflections on the people, events, and milestones that make up life at the Collegium.

Happy reading!

Access the full issue as a PDF on our website: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-collegium-advanced-studies/publications/hcas-newsletter

“The international community must strengthen our global healthcare infrastructure in order to protect everyone's ability to live minimally good lives.”
– Creative Resolve: The Future of Global Health

Join us for a screening and panel discussion on the documentary Creative Resolve: The Future of Global Health with HCAS alumna Nicole Hassoun.

June 16 at HCAS. Read more and register via the link in the comments.

The Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies celebrates its 25th anniversary this June. To mark this milestone and to launch a new chapter in its history, the Collegium hosts a series of events and unveils an updated website with a new visual identity.

Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies 25th Anniversary Celebration Weeks | Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies | University of Helsinki