ABOUT ASI

Asian Social Institute (ASI), a Manila-based Graduate School of Social Transformative Praxis was established in 1962 by a Dutch Scheutist Missionary of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), the late Rev. Fr. Francis Senden, Ph. D.  Started with the blessings of the late Rufino Cardinal Santos, D. D. of the Archdiocese of Manila, ASI’s purpose was to form and train social science based social development managers for Asia and the Pacific in order to implement in different socio-cultural religious contexts the social teachings of the Church.

Since the passing of its founder in 1973, ASI has continued to work toward the fulfillment of its vision of justice, peace and integrity of creation.  Ensuring its social rootedness, it provides a learning environment which is structured in three interacting departments - Academe,  Social Development, and Research, Communication and Publication.

ASI's thrust as a school of transformative praxis is to contribute to an experientially and a culturally based theory of social transformation, giving importance to people and their essential relationships as well as to the creation of a social climate which enables persons to achieve their full human potentials. This thrust implies a method of learning where life contexts serve as learning environments.

The Academe integrates theory and practice, while the Social Development Department grounds the students' learning in marginal communities through ASI's Action Subsidiaries - Family Center, Urban Community Desk, Tent School, Diocesan Accompaniment, Youth Accompaniment, ASI Enterprise Center and its NGO networks. The Research, Communication and Publication Department provides for relevant approaches to communicating transformative ideas.

ASI moves into the Third Millennium as an Asian graduate school of the social sciences, granted Accreditation Level III. ASI hopes to be fully recognized by inter-faith and ecumenical educational groups as a Christian-inspired Social Science Center for social transformative praxis in Asia and the Pacific and working in tandem with a "university on the air” for the formation and training of grassroots social scientists in partnership with multi-media networks.