The Archipelago of the Humanistic Thematic Networks is formed of 20 Erasmus-Socrates Thematic Networks which deal with different areas and aspects of the Humanistic Arts and Sciences. Thematic Networks are organisms created and run by active, motivated people primarily from Higher Education institutions, but also from associations and other bodies, from all European countries eligible for Socrates programmes. The Networks are supported by the European Commission through its Directorate General for Education and Culture.
Their primary purpose is to address, on a pan-European level, the development of teaching, learning and research -- on a special theme, in a specific discipline or in multi-disciplinary area.
Each Humanistic Thematic Network has its own vast area of endeavour. In the Humanistic Archipelago such different but related subjects as Language, Cultural Memory, History, Geography, Political Science and Women's Studies are represented.
Architecture, Arts, Music, Humanitarian Rights, Consumer Citizenship and Children's Citizenship are present. The Thematic Networks for Landscape Architecture, Informatics in the Legal Professions and for the Humanities, Occupational Therapy and re also lively components of our Archipelago. Tertiary Educators, Social Work, Globalisation studies and Health and Social Welfare Policy are included.
Together we recognise the importance of collaboration among ourselves and of reaching out to other broad disciplinary areas in order to contribute in the best way possible to developing the European Knowledge Space, and beyond that, the conditions for full participation of the citizens of Europe in building a peaceful, tolerant society based on multiplicity, collaboration and diversity.
In our view the Humanistic Arts and Sciences have a central role in building our future. Together our Thematic Networks can work to their full potential.
In our first year of activities we held a joint Conference in Brussels, entitled "Human Plus 2004". There teams from the partner Networks worked together, building a cross-disciplinary forum for the Human and Social Sciences.
In the second phase of our activities, we will hold another such joint Conference, this time on a common theme: "Im/Emigration and Mobility in European Culture, Society and Citizenship.
Our objective is to bring our many viewpoints to bear on the most important issues facing Europe today. We believe that the Humanistic Thematic Networks, working together, can make a fundamental contribution to understanding major issues and to formulating action plans to deal with them.