FASoS consists of four distinct research programmes, each of which is composed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers:

• Arts, Media and Culture (AMC) examines cultural practices such as conservation, representation and remediation, as well as pressing societal issues pertaining to cultural and linguistic diversity, media and heritage. Approaching these topics from an interdisciplinary angle, the group’s research draws on insights from art and philosophy, literary and media studies, cultural history, and gender studies, as well as the social sciences. Its results further our academic understanding of art and culture, intervene in topical societal debates, and help build more inclusive societies.

• Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development (GTD) asks how transnational linkages created through the exchanges between individuals, families, political elites, and civil society organisations within the Global South, and between the Global South and North, affect societies. It draws on expertise in international development studies, anthropology, sociology and political science. Projects are multi-sited, mixed-method, and grounded in fieldwork. Through its transnational perspective, its research agenda aims to re-frame issues around migration and globalisation & development, thus addressing some of the core issues in today’s globalised world.

• Maastricht University Science, Technology and Society Studies (MUSTS) studies how modern societies are shaped by science and technology; and vice versa, how social and cultural conditions shape technological innovations and scientific discoveries. It draws on a combination of philosophical, historical, sociological and anthropological approaches, focusing in particular on cultures of research and innovation. The analysis typically moves between micro-level studies of local practices and macro-level questions of governance, policy and morality, making it relevant for policy-makers, academic debates, and society at large.

• Politics and Culture in Europe (PCE) since its inception in 2003, Politics and Culture in Europe positions itself as an interdisciplinary research programme. The programme mainly brings together political scientists and historians but is also open to researchers from other disciplines such as philosophy. The topic that frames PCE research is: ‘Europe in a world of change’. As such, PCE research focuses on three main “pillars”:
  • Europe and the process of European integration is key in framing PCE research, but
  • PCE researchers take the global context into account
  • Change and its explanatory factors is a key ‘driver’ for PCE research.