The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Monday (CASS) honored 47 newly-elected academicians.

The CASS said the academicians, who are now active in scholarly work, have all made exceptional contributions to social scientific research.

The academy also honored 95 academicians who are retired prominent social scientists.

Chen Kuiyuan, CASS president, told Xinhua, "We are awarding the outstanding social scientists working for the academy and wish them to set good examples for the whole social scientific community," Chen said.

"We really need the membership system to differentiate the best and the normal scholars in the academy," Chen said, citing the establishment of the membership as a significant restructuring of research planning.

The CASS now has five academic divisions, including literature, history and philosophy division, the economics division, the politics and law division, the international studies division and the Marxist studies division.

Established in 1955 as the CAS social scientific division and renamed in 1977 as the CASS, the academy is the top research entity in philosophy, law, economics, history, religion, archaeology, linguistics, literature and international studies.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2006)