MECAM Individual Fellowships 2026-2027 (Imagining Futures: Dealing with Disparity)

Open to postdoctoral and advanced researchers in humanities and social sciences from all countries, including Tunisia, who want to discuss and develop their research within MECAM’s theme Imagining Futures: Dealing with Disparity and engage with at least one MECAM interdisciplinary research field. Independent scholars and researchers without a current institutional affiliation are eligible. Current PhD candidates or doctoral students are not eligible. Applicants should be interested in collaborative exchange, revisiting their work from different vantage points, and joining an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and transregional network. Application requires an online submission and includes a CV with publications, a research proposal abstract, one recent writing sample, a statement explaining alignment to the theme, the Maghreb connection and engagement plan, plus two referees’ contact details.

Residency fellowship in Tunis with shared office workspace and logistical support. Travel and relocation costs are compensated on a no gain no loss principle. A monthly stipend is provided for the duration of the fellowship on a no gain no loss principle. Publication and networking support available through MECAM and partner institutions.

The Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) invites applications for eight residential fellowships for the period 1 September 2026 to 30 April 2027 in Tunis. The call is framed under the theme Imagining Futures: Dealing with Disparity and welcomes proposals connected to at least one MECAM Interdisciplinary Research Field: Aesthetics and Cultural Practice, Inequality and Mobility, Memory and Justice, Resources and Sustainability, and Identities and Beliefs. Six fellowships are for postdoctoral researchers and two are for advanced researchers. Fellows are expected to be in residence in Tunis for up to eight months, participate in weekly in person colloquia, contribute a MECAM paper, and help organise academic activities including workshops during MECAM Spectrum. Projects should be well advanced and should not rely on extensive field research during the residency, as fieldwork outside Tunis is only possible in exceptional cases. Applications must be submitted via the designated online application platform managed by Forum Transregionale Studien, in English or French. Email applications are not accepted.