The Tata Institute of Social Sciences hosted the first Global Colloquium on Building Bridges in Social Sciences

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences hosted the first Global Colloquium on Building Bridges in Social Sciences from 1113 May 2026 at its Mumbai campus. The Colloquium, organised as part of its 90th anniversary celebrations, convened a distinguished and diverse gathering of scholars, policymakers, practitioners, civil society actors, and diplomats from 25 countries across the globe.

Envisioned as an internationally inclusive platform, the Colloquium sought to foster dialogue, collaboration, and critical reflection within the social sciences. It placed Indias development experience at the centre of global knowledge exchange, exploring its relevance across varied social, cultural, economic, and geopolitical contexts. The event underscored Indias evolving role not only as a site of empirical inquiry but also as a key contributor to theory-building and knowledge production in the Global South and beyond.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Honble Union Minister of Education, Government of India, was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the Colloquium on 11 May 2026, marking a significant moment in TISSs long-standing commitment to advancing socially and environmentally relevant knowledge and public engagement.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Badri Narayan Tiwari stated, TISS will act as an anchor of social science research and will promote strong research collaborations, cross-border academic partnerships, interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, and policy-oriented engagement among institutions, scholars, and practitioners across the Global South and beyond.

Through a series of plenary sessions, thematic panels, and interdisciplinary dialogues, the Colloquium highlighted Indias vibrant democratic ethos and institutional diversity, innovative and scalable public policy interventions, grassroots perspectives and community-led development practices, and the contributions of Global South knowledge traditions to global discourse. By bringing together diverse global voices and perspectives, the Colloquium aimed to build intellectual bridges across regions and disciplines while contributing to more inclusive, context-sensitive, and policy-relevant social science frameworks.

The TISS Global Declaration, adopted during the concluding session, reaffirmed a shared commitment to strengthening equitable global partnerships, advancing collaborative social science research, and fostering knowledge exchange rooted in the priorities and perspectives of the Global South.