Academy in Exile invites scholars at risk to apply for 24-month fellowships at the Freie Universität in Berlin. Eligible are scholars from any country, with a PhD in the humanities, social sciences, or law, who are at risk because of their academic work and/or civic engagement in human rights, democracy, and the pursuit of academic freedom. Academy in Exile fellowships provide scholars with the opportunity to reestablish their scholarship in Germany and to work on a research project of their own choosing in a multidisciplinary environment. Fellows will contribute to the research agenda and intellectual profile of the academy and participate in affiliated research projects.
Created in 2017, Academy in Exile preserves and promotes critical scholarship that is threatened or de-legitimized in an increasing number of countries across the globe. Academy in Exile is a joint initiative of the Turkish Studies Department at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut (Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities / KWI) in Essen, the Berlin-based Forum Transregionale Studien, and the Freie Universität Berlin. To date, Academy in Exile has supported 37 scholars at risk with long-term fellowships, emergency stipends, and a guest professorship.
The eight new fellows will be affiliated with Academy in Exile’s Critical Thinking Residency Program at Freie Universität Berlin. The fellowships are funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Freie Universität. Applications will be evaluated based on academic merit, risk assessment, and suitability for the Academy’s program.
Barring delays in processing applications and in preparing for the arrival of new fellows due to the coronavirus pandemic, fellowships may start as early as September 2020. The monthly stipend amounts to 2,500 EUR. In addition, Academy in Exile covers the cost of health insurance.
Please submit your application in the following order by 15 May 2020:
— a letter that explains your motivation for applying to AiE, including the current circumstances of your risk and/or exile status. No proof or letter from a third party is required. However, if you are registered with IIE-Scholars at Risk Network, Scholar Rescue Fund or CARA, please indicate so in your letter. Please also indicate in your letter the department, research group, and/or professor at Freie Universität with whom you would be interested in working (no host agreement is required; if selected we may match you according to availability).
— a three-page research proposal;
— an updated curriculum vitae with a list of publications;
— a published journal article or chapter;
Please submit your application to as one PDF and name the file as follows: surname_first name. All applications will be dealt with in strict confidentiality. Encrypted communication will be used at the applicant’s request.
For more information visit: https://www.academy-in-exile.eu/
For regulations of Freie Universität regarding the corona virus, please check the updates on:
https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/coronavirus/index.html