The International Alfred Schutz Circle for Phenomenology and Interpretive Social Science

The International Alfred Schutz Circle for Phenomenology and Interpretive Social Science is established to promote a fruitful and free exchange of ideas and research topics within the thematic and theoretical horizon of the Schutzian paradigm. Its mission is to encourage convergent tendencies with this school of thought – not necessarily in the letter, but more important in the spirit of Schutz. Therefore the organization is open for interested persons who are not Schutz scholars themselves. Furthermore, the Circle addresses scientists from various disciplines on the interface of philosophy and the social sciences, but also from the cultural and historical sciences, as all these fields of study fall within the horizon of Alfred Schutz’s thinking. Further interest is in establishing dialogues with different empirical research perspectives that engage in the kind of qualitative social science Schutz paved the way for.

The idea to establish the Alfred Schutz Circle was created in October 2011 by Lester Embree, Evelyn Schutz Lang, Hisashi Nasu and Jochen Dreher in Philadelphia. The founding meeting was held in May 2012 at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Henceforth biennial conferences will be organized on an international level, taking place in various cities and continents. Debates will focus upon different topics related to the thought of Schutz and involve local experts as well as younger scholars. Selected papers of these conferences will be published in Schutzian Research, a multidisciplinary journal with a focus on philosophical and cultural-scientific research, featuring a broad spectrum of qualitative and interpretive work, comparable with Alfred Schutz’s orientation but not necessarily derived from it.

Executive Committee:

Jochen Dreher (Chair), Hisashi Nasu, Michael D. Barber, Andreas Göttlich, Hermílio Santos

Honorary Committee Members:

Lester Embree, Evelyn Schutz Lang, Ilja Srubar