Frequently Asked Questions

The Center on Modernity in Transition (COMIT) is an independent research institute. Grounded in the principle of human oneness, we develop new frameworks for understanding the world through scholarship, publication, and intellectual community, working alongside, but independent of, the university.

We mean that humanity is, in a fundamental sense, a single people: not despite our differences, but alongside them. Our About page explains the idea more fully and how it shapes our research.

No. COMIT is an independent nonprofit. We collaborate closely with universities and institutes, including New York University's Institute for Public Knowledge and Duke University's Center for International Development, on events, research, and programs.

Yes. All of our public conversations and speaker series are open to the public and free to attend. Workshops and symposia are small, intensive gatherings, and participation is usually by invitation.

Yes. Recordings of all our public conversations are available online. Browse the full archive on our Public Conversations page.

Subscribe to our newsletter, which announces new conversations, gatherings, and publications. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X.

Pivot Press is COMIT's publishing imprint. Its volumes grow out of sustained collaborative inquiry, bringing scholars, practitioners, and engaged communities into dialogue. Explore its books and essays at pivotpress.org.

Yes. All Pivot Press publications are freely available as open-access PDFs under Creative Commons licensing. Carefully designed print editions are also available for those who want them.

Pivot Press doesn't accept standalone manuscript proposals. Its essays and volumes grow out of COMIT's broader work of intellectual community building: speaker series, workshops, and sustained scholarly relationships feed into our publications, and our publications feed back into those activities. If you have an idea you'd like to explore with us, we'd welcome hearing from you at info@pivotpress.org.

Use the contact form on our homepage or write to us at info@comitresearch.org. We read every message.