MECAM Fellowships 2027 For Postdoctoral and Advanced Scholars. Apply below!
Application Deadline: 31st March 2021; 24.00h CET.
About the Award:
The Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) invites applications for eight residential fellowships for postdoctoral and advanced researchers in the humanities and social sciences for the period from September 2026 to April 2027. Under the overall theme “Imagining Futures: Dealing with Disparity” MECAM is dedicated to a research agenda framed by five interrelated ‘Interdisciplinary Research Fields’ (IRFs): Aesthetics & Cultural Practice, Inequality & Mobility, Memory & Justice, Resources & Sustainability, and Identities & Beliefs. Applications should be related to the main theme and at least one of the IRFs. This call for applications is open to researchers from all countries, including Tunisia.
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Type: Fellowship
Eligibility: Applications are welcome from postdoc and advanced researchers of all fields in the social sciences and humanities if:
- Please note that current PhD candidates (doctoral students) are not eligible to apply. The call is open to postdoctoral and advanced researchers only.
- You are interested in discussing your research in the framework of MECAM’s main theme “Imagining futures: Dealing with disparity” with colleagues from the Maghreb, the Middle East, Europe, and other regions of the world.
- You want to engage in collaborative work, in debate and exchange with other researches working on topics related to the five IRFs.
- You are interested in revisiting your research from a different vantage point.
- You want to become part of a network of interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and transregional exchange and debate on disparity and the competing models for the future that co- exist in the societies of the contemporary Maghreb, Europe, and other parts of the world.
- This call for applications is open to researchers of all ages and genders from all countries, including Tunisia.
- Independent scholars and researchers without a current institutional affiliation are eligible to apply
To be Taken at (Country): Tunisia
Number of Awards: 11
Value of Award:
FELLOWSHIP
Six post-doctoral and two advanced researchers will be invited as MECAM Fellows on the basis of an evaluation of the quality and originality of their research proposal. Projects should address one or more of the themes sketched out in the IRFs. Fellows are expected to take up residency for up to 8 months in Tunis, from 1 September 2026 to 30 April 2027. During the period of their residency, Fellows of MECAM will have the opportunities to work on their self-chosen individual research projects and for exchange in and outside MECAM, with their co-fellows, with colleagues from Tunisia, and those from MECAM’s networks. Fellows are expected to participate in on-site seminars and colloquia, to work regularly at MECAM offices. They will be invited to take responsibility in shaping formats that support collaborative work and are expected to participate in the academic life of MECAM. While developing their own research, fellows present their research to their co-fellows and may explore individual or collective forms of cooperation with colleagues from Tunisian Universities. Moreover, fellows commit to participating at weekly in-person colloquia, to contribute a MECAM paper (https://mecam.tn/mecam-papers/) and to mainly organize two in- person workshops within the framework of MECAM’s event week (“MECAM Spectrum”) with the involvement of MECAM’s Principal Investigators working on IRFs and/or external experts. MECAM Fellowships are residency fellowships at MECAM in in Tunis. As field work outside Tunis will only be possible in exceptional cases, research projects must already be well advanced and not rely on extensive field research during the residency.Successful applicants will become ‘MECAM fellows’ with all relevant rights and obligations: Travel and relocation costs will be compensated according to a “no gain/no loss” principle. A monthly stipend will be awarded for the duration of the fellowship according to the “no gain/no loss” principle.
NETWORK
Fellows will become part of the MECAM network, which will is built up by subsequent groups of fellows, and by the scholars of the institutions that are involved in the institutional framework. MECAM and its partner institutions offer networking and publication opportunities via specific networks, formats and support.
EXCHANGE AND DEBATE
The primary aim of MECAM is to create a high-quality and flexible setting for peer-to-peer exchange and debate between researchers from different countries, disciplines, and in different phases of their academic career: The fellowship combines virtual and in-person forms of exchange and debate, and facilitates collaboration and engagement with scholars at MECAM partner institutions, students, and the wider public. The MECAM directors and coordination office in Tunis support fellows during their stay. A key part of academic life are the annual Study Day in early-December and the Event Week (“MECAM Spectrum”) in mid-April, which are mainly coordinated and organized by the fellows. During this week, they present their work and invite external guests. MECAM’s partner institutions also offer opportunities for publication and academic exchange.
FLEXIBILITY
MECAM fellows can pursue their individual research projects in the form they choose, be it an academic article, an essay, a policy paper, a book, a report, etc. Projects can have particular components of field or archive research (in Tunis, and/or a neighbouring state in the Maghreb if the duration does not conflict in principle with the obligation for residence).
SUPPORT
MECAM provides its fellows with shared office workspaces at its premises, which they are expected to use primarily. It also offers publication facilities for open-access and peer-reviewed formats of publication through the infrastructures of MECAM and its partners. Logistical support with travel, accommodation, and field research in Tunisia is provided. Furthermore, the exchange between fellows is facilitated through a secure digital workspace (TrafoHub) and other digital tools..
Duration of Award: 4 months from 1 September to 31 December 2021.
How to Apply:
MECAM assigns its partner institution, Forum Transregionale Studien in Berlin, with the processing of personal application data. Therefore, we kindly ask you to submit your application in English or French via the secure online application platform of the Forum Transregionale Studien by 2 March 2026, 12.30h CEST.:
Applications by email will not be considered.
If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQ section in the same PDF as the call for application .
If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact MECAM’s research data management coordinator, Rashof Salih: sara@trafo-berlin.de
| As part of your application, you will be asked to prepare and upload:Curriculum vitae including publications (2-3 pages),Research proposal: Short abstract of your project (max. 1000 words),,One recent writing sample: journal article (published or forthcoming), book or thesis chapter.In addition, during the application process you will be asked to write:A detailed explanation of how your research proposal is connected to the Maghreb region and aligns with MECAM’s guiding theme “Imagining Futures Dealing with Disparity” and at least one of its IRFs (1 2 pages), including a clear statement of how you intend to engage with MECAM during your fellowship, highlighting its significance for your academic career development, and what specific goals you aim to acco mplish during your fellowship,Names and contact details of two referees (university faculty members or practitioners in a field relevant to the applicant’s project; no letters of recommendation required) |
- It is important to go through all application requirements in the Award Webpage (see Link below) before applying.
- GOODLUCK
Visit Award Webpage for Details
