4th National Social Science Congress
The Philippine Social Sciences in the Life of the Nation
8-9 July 1998
The Fourth NSSC, held on 8-9 July 1998, picked up where the First NSSC left off. Fifteen years after the First NSSC came up with recommendations to advance social sciences in the Philippines, PSSC once again decided to look inward and take stock of developments in the social sciences. Themed “The Philippine Social Sciences in the Life of the Nation,” the Fourth NSSC featured the history and development of all 13 social science disciplines; looked into the relationship of the social sciences with other branches of knowledge (e.g. agriculture, health and medicine, law, management); and reflected on their role in policymaking. The Fourth NSSC was especially significant as it was held as part of the National Academy of Science and Technology’s (NAST) Annual Scientific Meeting. It marked the first time that the NAST featured and gave special attention to the social sciences in its annual meeting.
A record 512 participants attended the Congress proper. The papers presented in the Congress were published in two volumes: The Philippine Social Sciences in the Life of the Nation (Volume 1): The History and Development of Social Science Disciplines in the Philippines, and The Philippine Social Sciences in the Life of the Nation (Volume 2): Enriching Each Other: The Encounter of the Social Sciences and Other Branches of Knowledge. The keynote speeches delivered by guest speakers during the opening of the pre-congress symposia and the Congress proper were published separately in the January-June 1998 issue of the PSSC Social Science Information.