Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The CASS was founded in May 1977. Its predecessor was the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The main research objects of the Academy of Social Sciences are the language, philosophy, law, economy, religion, ethnicity, archaeology, history and literature of China and other countries in the world. The Academy of Social Sciences is divided into 6 academic departments and 37 research institutes.

• Name — Chinese Academy of Social Sciences • Native Name — zh-hans • Abbreviation — CASS • Type — Think tank • Headquarters — South Middle Ring Road, Wangjing Area, Chaoyang District • Location — Beijing, China • Parent Organization — State Council of China • Subsidiaries — China Social Sciences Press • Leader Title — Party Secretary and President • Leader Name — Gao Xiang

The predecessor of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, established in 1955. The Division of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the predecessor of CASS, elected 61 members of the academy. The CASS was established in May 1977 based on splitting the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the aim of promoting the development of philosophy and social sciences, under the instruction of Deng Xiaoping. The first president was Hu Qiaomu. In 1979, CASS Vice President Huan Xiang led the first Chinese delegation of social scientists to travel to the United States. In August 2006, the first batch of 47 members and 95 honorary members of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences were selected. Subsequent elections were held in: • 2010: 10 new members, 38 Honorary Members • 2014: 4 new members • 2018: 12 new members • 2024: 9 new members. Up to 2024, a total of 82 members had been selected from the entire academy (as of March 2022, there were 133 honorary members).

The Membership of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Honorary Membership of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences are the highest academic titles within CASS, and are lifelong honors. The members are active scholars, while honorary members are retired scholars. They are elected for different academic divisions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences every four years.

The selection processes include: • Nomination by members and affiliated units, • Review and recommendation by the candidate evaluation committee, • Public announcement, • Evaluation by external experts, • Final review and election by the academic assembly, • Approval by the academy party committee. Criteria emphasize: • Significant academic achievements • National or international recognition • Integrity and scholarly conduct • Contributions to the development of philosophy and social sciences in China The Election is carried out every two to four years. Unlike the selection of academicians for the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the members and honorary members are selected only from within the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, with no participation from universities or other social science circles. CASS members do not enjoy any special treatment in terms of material benefits.

The CASS is a ministry-level institution under the State Council. As of 2012, CASS has over 3,200 resident scholars. As of November 2020, the CASS has 6 university departments, 42 research institutes, 6 functional departments, 5 directly affiliated institutions, and 3 directly affiliated companies. Of its functional departments, five are focused on research. CASS houses the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which later became the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The Institute of Taiwan Studies at CASS is under the control of the Fifteenth Bureau of the Ministry of State Security. The Dictionary Editing Office of the Institute of Linguistics edits Xiandai Hanyu Cidian and the Xinhua Dictionary. The China Social Sciences Press was established in June 1978 under the auspices of the CASS, and has published over 8,000 books since its inception. The CASS has the following internal structure:

• Academic Division of Philosophy and Literature • Institute of Literature • Institute of Ethnic Literature • Institute of Foreign Literature • Institute of Linguistics • Institute of Philosophy • Institute of World Religions • Academic Division of History • Chinese Academy of History (Deputy Ministerial Level) • Institute of Archaeology (China Archaeological Museum) • Institute of History (Guo Moruo Memorial Hall, China National Studies Research and Exchange Center) • Institute of Modern History • Institute of World History • Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies • Institute of Historical Theory • Institute of Taiwan Studies • Academic Division of Economics • Institute of Economics • Institute of Industrial Economics • Rural Development Institute • National Academy of Economic Strategy • Institute of Finance and Banking • Institute of Quantitative and Technological Economics • Institute of Population and Labor Economics • Research Institute for Eco-civilization • Academic Division of Social, Political and Legal Studies • Institute of Law • Institute of International Law • Institute of Political Science • Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology • Institute of Sociology • National Academy of Chinese Modernization • Institute of Journalism and Communication Studies • Academic Division of International Studies • Institute of World Economics and Politics • Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies • Institute of European Studies • Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (China-Africa Institute) • Institute of Latin American Studies • National Institute of International Strategy • Institute of American Studies • Institute of Japanese Studies • Institute of Peaceful Development • Academic Division of Marxist Studies • Academy of Marxism • Institute of Contemporary China Studies • Institute of Information Studies • Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Evaluation Studies

• University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

• China Social Sciences Press • Social Sciences Academic Press • Chinese Corporation for Promotion of Humanities (China Economic and Technical Consulting Corporation) • China-run publishing and media group

Every quarter, CASS hosts a high-level seminar to which it invites officials from other developing countries to discuss topics including governance in China, poverty alleviation, and socio-economic development. According to Chen Daoyin, a former professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, CASS "is not so much an academic institution but a body to formulate party ideology to support the leadership." CASS employees periodically submit observations of colleagues' behavior to inspection teams, especially of colleagues who criticize the Chinese Communist Party in private.

• English name — Chinese name — Took office — Left office — Ref. • Hu Qiaomu — zh-Hans — 1977 — 1982 • Ma Hong — zh-Hans — 1982 — 1985 • Hu Qiaomu — zh-Hans — 1985 — 1988 • Hu Sheng — zh-Hans — 1988 — 1998 • Li Tieying — zh-Hans — March 1998 — January 2003 • Chen Kuiyuan — zh-Hans — January 2003 — April 2013 • Wang Weiguang — zh-Hans — April 2013 — March 2018 • Xie Fuzhan — 谢伏瞻 — March 2018 — May 2022 • Shi Taifeng — 石泰峰 — May 2022 — December 2022 • Gao Xiang — 高翔 — December 2022 — Incumbent