History & Legacy

The Comparative Civilizations Forum was founded as The International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations (ISCSC) in 1961 in Salzburg, Austria, through the vision of historian Othmar Anderle, with the participation of two leading thinkers of the time — Arnold J. Toynbee and Rushton Coulborn. The Society’s first president was the renowned sociologist Pitirim Sorokin, whose work on social and cultural dynamics continues to shape comparative thought today.

 

By 1970, the Society’s leadership expanded across the Atlantic as Benjamin Nelson became its first American president. Under the guidance of influential scholars — including anthropologist Roger Wescott, historian Carroll Quigley, political scientists Samuel Huntigton and David Wilkinson, literary comparatist Michael Palencia-Roth, and sociologists C.P. Wolf, Vytautas Kavolis, Matthew Melko, and Benjamin Nelson — the ISCSC evolved into a vibrant international network of thinkers exploring how civilizations develop, interact, and transform.

 

While the Society’s base grew in the United States, its global reach extended across more than 30 countries, bringing together a diverse community of scholars. Its annual conferences became dynamic platforms for intellectual exchange, featuring contributions from prominent figures such as Talcott Parsons, Hayden White, Immanuel Wallerstein, Gordon Hewes, André Gunder Frank, Marshall Sahlins, Lynn White Jr., and Jeremy Sabloff.

 

From the outset, the mission was clear: complex civilisational challenges require multidisciplinary analysis. What began as a forum mainly for historians, anthropologists, and sociologists has now grown to embrace philosophy, psychology, comparative religion, economics, political theory, literary criticism, art history, science & technology studies, linguistics, archaeology, architecture, ge and physics.

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Conferences & Global Reach

 

Over the decades, the ISCSC has hosted dozens of Annual Meetings across four continents, reflecting its truly global footprint. The forums have moved beyond a single region or discipline, exemplifying the belief in comparative civilisational thinking with global orientation. CCF will carry this legacy forward, ensuring our gatherings remain international, interdisciplinary, and inclusive.

 

Legacy into the 21st Century

 

The transition from ISCSC to CCF marks a renewal of commitment to civilisational scholarship for the digital age. We are adapting to the evolving global landscape — where connectivity, cultural interaction, technological transformation, and sustainability shape how civilizations rise, interact, and transform. The Comparative Civilizations Forum inherits the foundational values of ISCSC and updates them for our time: rigour, openness, diversity of discipline, and global perspective.

 

We invite scholars, practitioners, and change-makers from all regions and fields to join us in this evolving journey: to map civilisation change, exchange comparative insights, shape new frameworks, and respond to the complex questions of our era.

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