January Highlights from the Humanities & Social Sciences Communities
Published in Social Sciences and Behavioural Sciences & Psychology
As we stepped into 2026, January brought a rich mix of research and perspectives in the Humanities & Social Sciences Communities, from philosophical heritage and lived cognition to global health awareness and psychological interventions. In this round-up, I’d like to share some standout posts that sparked conversation this month.
If a piece resonates with you, don’t forget to like and share your thoughts in the comments – your voice helps keep the conversation going!
Rethinking Elements, Memory, and Migration in Social Thought
In this Social Science Matters blog post, @Elaine Stratford introduces her book The Drowned: Elements of Loss and Repair. She explains how water has played a role in human violence and suffering, from drownings in the past to refugees dying at sea today. Through these examples, she shows that water is not neutral – it is often linked to power, injustice, and forgetting. Using an “elemental thinking” approach, the post shows how social science can help us remember these histories and think about care, responsibility, and justice, especially in the context of climate change and forced migration. Read the full blog post here.
Social Science Matters blogs offer a window into the diversity of social science research today, bringing together reflections on society, culture, and change from researchers and editors across disciplines. If you’re interested in reading more, explore all Social Science Matters blogs here.
Philosophical Legacy and Public Memory
In this Behind the Paper blog post, @Andris Hiršs explores how Immanuel Kant’s legacy is remembered and reshaped in Latvia – not only in academic philosophy, but also in public spaces and cultural stories. The author discusses monuments, library records, public debates, and even false attributions that connect Kant to Latvia, showing how philosophical authority can take symbolic and sometimes unexpected forms. The post argues that a philosopher’s influence lives not only in texts and ideas, but also in memory, myth, and everyday public life. Read the full blog post.
World Cancer Day 2026: Research & Advocacy
Marking World Cancer Day, @Sonia Tomescu-Stachie and colleagues introduce ‘Turning the Page’, a pilot study exploring whether online shared reading can support people affected by gynaecological cancers. The authors describe how small, online reading groups – guided by a trained facilitator and focused on shared discussion rather than therapy – may offer a gentle and accessible way to support wellbeing, connection, and reflection. The post highlights the potential of creative, low‑cost interventions to complement medical care and improve quality of life during and after cancer. Read the full blog post.
Personality Change Across the Life Span
In this Behind the Paper blog post, @Cornelia Wrzus discusses a study on whether personality traits can change through intervention at different ages. The research followed younger and older adults who wanted to become more emotionally stable and more socially confident during an eight‑week training. The results show that both age groups changed in similar ways, challenging the idea that personality is harder to change later in life. The post highlights that motivation and engagement played an important role, especially among older adults, and shows that meaningful personality change is possible across the human lifespan. Read the full blog post.
Animal Cognition & Winter Survival
.png)
In this Behind the Paper post, @Ai Ana Hein Richmond introduces research on chickadees and their remarkable memory. Living through the harsh winters of the eastern Sierra Nevada, these small birds survive by hiding and later retrieving thousands of seeds, making them an important model for studying memory and cognitive flexibility. Alongside the blog, the author also shares a short video that walks you through the research process and methods, offering a clear and engaging look at how scientists study animal cognition in the field. Dive into the post!
Together, these posts reflect the breadth of Humanities and Social Sciences research, from intellectual histories and cultural memory to psychological science, animal cognition, and global health advocacy. I hope they spark your curiosity and invite further reading and discussion.
Further readings:
Supporting Humanities and Social Sciences research area on the Research Communities platform. I’d love to hear from you and connect!
Follow the Topic
-
Communications Psychology
An open-access journal from Nature Portfolio publishing high-quality research, reviews and commentary. The scope of the journal includes all of the psychological sciences.
-
ISRCTN: The UK’s Clinical Study Registry
A primary clinical trial registry recognised by WHO and ICMJE that accepts studies involving human subjects or populations with outcome measures assessing effects on human health and well-being, including studies in healthcare, social care, education, workplace safety and economic development.
-
Animal Cognition
Animal Cognition is an interdisciplinary journal offering current research on all aspects of animal (and human) cognition in an evolutionary framework.
-
Studies in East European Thought
This is a scholarly platform focusing on the philosophical thought and intellectual history of East and Central Europe, Russia, and post-Soviet states.
-
Palgrave Macmillan is a world-class publisher of books and journals with more than 175 years’ experience in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Introducing: Social Science Matters
Social Science Matters is a campaign from the team at Palgrave Macmillan that aims to increase the visibility and impact of the social sciences
Continue reading announcementRelated Collections
With Collections, you can get published faster and increase your visibility.
Intensive Longitudinal Designs in Psychology
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Mar 31, 2026
The Question Concerning Technology in Russia
We are pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue of Studies in East European Thought (SEET) dedicated to the theme The Question Concerning Technology in Russia. The aim of this issue is to present new approaches to rethinking the status of technology, with a focus on its philosophical reception in Russian culture and history.
Description
This special issue explores the question of technology in Russia in a broad sense, examining what Russian philosophy can contribute to addressing the challenges posed by modern technology. The theme is inspired by German philosopher Martin Heidegger's essay "The Question Concerning Technology" and Hong Kong philosopher Yuk Hui’s paper "The Question Concerning Technology in China." According to Hui's core thesis, technology is not a universal concept across cultures. Building on this idea, our issue aims to highlight the unique perspectives on technology that have emerged within Russian and Soviet philosophy and culture.
Given the broad scope of the topic, the issue invites contributions from both historical research in philosophy and studies on the contemporary status of technology in Russian culture. The history of Russian philosophy of technology—developed by theologians, scientists, and engineers since the second half of the 19th century—encompasses diverse approaches and distinctive features. During this period, Russian thinkers formulated numerous theories about the role of technology in human culture, its essence, and its social significance. Revisiting the ideas of Engelmeyer, Vernadsky, Bogdanov, Platonov, Berdyaev, Ilyenkov, and others in the context of modern technology offers fruitful avenues for exploring alternative relationships between humans and technology—relationships that move beyond the dominant instrumental attitude toward technology, which Heidegger criticized as Gestell. Within the history of Russian philosophy and culture, there exists both theoretical and practical groundwork for envisioning an alternative understanding of scientific and technological progress—one that prioritizes public welfare and environmental preservation rather than destruction.
Additionally, the issue will explore the highly relevant topic of artificial intelligence. The technical features of AI, particularly its greater autonomy and unpredictability compared to prior technologies, provide fertile ground for philosophical inquiry. This topic is particularly pertinent in the Russian context, where AI ethics has gained significant attention.
We invite contributions that address (but are not limited to):
● Historical-philosophical perspectives on technology in Russian and Soviet thought.
● Russian and Soviet contributions to alternative frameworks for human-technology interaction.
● Theoretical reflections on the ethical and social implications of AI, with a focus on Russian perspectives.
● Comparative studies of Russian and global philosophical approaches to technology.
● Cultural, literary, or interdisciplinary explorations of technology in Russian history
The Special Issue Guest Editors:
Andrei Glukhovskii (glukhovsky.andrew@gmail.com)
Natalia Bragina (nibragina97@gmail.com)
How to Participate
To participate, please submit your proposal (including an abstract of approximately 500 words) to the issue Guest Editor, Andrei Glukhovskii at glukhovsky.andrew@gmail.com. Should you have any queries or anticipate difficulties in meeting the deadlines, you are encouraged to contact the Guest Editors in advance. We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Please note the following key dates:
The deadline for the submission of proposals is 16 March 2025.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by 16 April 2025.
Submission online in our new SNAPP platform starts as of 23rd of April 2025.The deadline for submission of the final paper is 31 August 2026.
Publication policy and submission details
We are seeking original research papers that meet the highest academic standards. Submissions should adhere to the following criteria:
● All submissions must be written in English.
● The abstract should be clear and concise and include four to six keywords.
● Please adhere to the formatting and style guidelines set forth by the journal (for further details, please consult the Instructions for Authors).
All papers will be subject to a double-blind peer review process in order to guarantee their quality and relevance. Please submit your work online via the online submission system, selecting the option designated as "SI: The Question Concerning Technology in Russia" from the Article Type menu.
We encourage you to follow SEET’s editorial procedures Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance and read the detailed information about how reviewers are selected Peer Reviewer Selection.
This journal offers the option to publish Open Access. You are allowed to publish open access through Open Choice. Please explore the OA options available through your institution by referring to our list of OA Transformative Agreements.
Following acceptance, papers will be published online first and will remain accessible until they are formally included in an issue and showcased on the collection page.
Why Publish in This Special Issue?
● Gain greater visibility and impact for your research within a focused, relevant audience.
● Accepted papers will be published online first, ensuring timely dissemination.
● The journal is indexed in the Web of Science and has an IF of 0.200 and CiteScore of 0.3.
We are available to provide assistance. Should you have any queries pertaining to your submission or the submission process, you are encouraged to contact the Guest Editors.
Publishing Model: Hybrid
Deadline: Aug 31, 2026
Please sign in or register for FREE
If you are a registered user on Research Communities by Springer Nature, please sign in