About

The Cooperative Institute for Transnational Studies (CITS) is an independent radical institution of higher learning, run by its members. It was formed in 2015 by academics from many countries, leaders in their respective fields, who resist the neoliberal degradation of higher education.

We came together to create an institution in which research, teaching and learning are integrated, dignified, collaborative, joyful, and dedicated to the cause of radical social transformation. We aim to mobilize the tools of the social sciences and humanities with and for the social movements, in our common struggle against oppression as well as for radical grassroots social and economic democracy. So we build from the bottom up a new university based on these values, exploring and cultivating what academia can contribute to these struggles.

Research study and teaching can and must be a collaborative, participatory and liberating experience, integrated into social struggles and committed to them. So we actively work to challenge and break down hierarchies of knowledge and authority imposed by patriarchy and capitalism, doing our best to create an educational environment that empowers and energizes all participants.