Fellowship for Scholars in Humanities and Social Sciences at the Pilecki Institute in Poland 2020

The Pilecki Institute in Poland invites scholars from anywhere in the world to carry out their own research projects in a vibrant and intellectually stimulating environment to apply for the 2020 fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to both senior and junior researchers, representing disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, especially modern history, sociology, political science, international relations, law studies, and political philosophy. Researchers across the humanities and social sciences are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to projects in some way connected to Polish studies or comparative studies of other Central and Eastern European countries as broadly understood and related to the following research areas:

1. Totalitarian systems and ideologies in the 20th century and its consequences.
2. The German and Soviet occupations of Central and Eastern Europe – legal, social, philosophical and historical aspects.
3. Sovereignty, human rights, genocide, and international law in the wake of the catastrophe of World War II.
4. Memory and memorialization of World War II.
5. Nationalism and political community in 20th-century Europe.
6. Personal experiences of war and totalitarianism in Europe.
7. Enslaved societies – resistance and strategies of survival in 20th-century Europe. 
8. The list of research areas is not definitive, and new ideas are also welcomed.

Eligibility criteria:

Candidates for the Pilecki Junior Fellowship:

1. Must currently be pursuing their doctoral degree at the dissertation stage or have recently obtained a PhD in an academic institution outside Poland in one of the academic disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.
2. Must have at least one publication, preferably in the area of Central/East European studies, Polish studies, Holocaust studies, totalitarianism, WW II or other related subjects.
3. Must speak fluent English (C1 and above).

Candidates for the Pilecki Senior Fellowship:

1. Must hold a PhD/Doctoral degree in the humanities or social science from an academic institution outside of Poland and have at least 10 years of post-Doctoral research experience.
2. Must have a proven record of research and publications related to the above-mentioned research areas.
3. Must speak fluent English (C1 and above).
4. Pilecki Fellows will be invited to spend a term of five or ten months between September 2020 and June 2021 at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw; it may be possible to extend this time period depending on the project and circumstances.
5. Fellowship recipients will be expected to participate in the Institute’s intellectual life, in particular: conduct research according to a submitted and accepted schedule, present their research project at one of the Institute’s seminars (twice in case of a ten-month visit), participate in conferences and other scholarly events organized or co-organized by the Pilecki Institute, and submit a 8,000–10,000-word scholarly paper for publishing consideration.

Funding:

Senior Visiting Fellows will receive a stipend of EUR 3,000 per month, Junior Visiting Fellows EUR 2,000 per month to cover accommodation and living expenses in Warsaw and health insurance. The Pilecki Institute will provide office space, in-house research, and administrative facilities, internet access, as well as other services. Travel expenses for flying in-out as well as additional travel expenditures for project-related research trips will be covered by the Pilecki Institute.

About Pilecki Institute:

The Pilecki Institute is a research institution based in Warsaw, Poland. It is named after Witold Pilecki (1901–1948), the World War II Polish intelligence agent and officer with the Home Army who volunteered to let himself be caught and sent to the concentration and death camp in Auschwitz in order to organize resistance inside and to report on the atrocities being carried out there by the Germans. After the war, he became a victim of the communist regime and was executed in 1948.

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