A research fellowship beginning 1st of September 2024 will be awarded at the Nordost-Institut (IKGN e. V.) in Lüneburg, an affiliated institute of the University of Hamburg and sponsored by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) under § 96 of the Federal Expellees Act [Bundesvertriebenengesetz]. The institute is a research facility for regional connections in East European and German culture and disseminates the results by way of teaching and in professional publications.
Northeast Europe (the historical Prussian regions of East and West Prussia, Pommerania and Poznan; Poland, the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) as well as Russia and the Soviet Union were partly shaped by the Germans living in those regions. Furthermore, German policy also exercised significant influence on the Northeast- and East Central European development beyond the respective German borders.
The Nordost-Institut is awarding a fellowship in support of historical research work with a prime focus on the manifold connections of this development with German history as well as on the relationship history between the Germans living in those regions and their respective neighbouring nations.
The research fellowship is primarily aimed at young researchers (doctoral students, postdocs), but can also be awarded to habilitated researchers and professors. It is granted for one to two months. The scholarship of 2,800 euros per month is intended to cover the additional expenses incurred by the recipient during the research stay in Lüneburg (compulsory attendance).
The fellowship will be granted according to criteria of scholarly excellence. Only research projects for which suitable preparatory work has already been completed will be considered for support.
Comprehensive applications (including a brief description of the research project, a work schedule for the duration of the research stay, and a Curriculum Vitae with details of the academic career together with a list of publications) must be submitted by 16th of June 2024.
The visiting Fellow will be involved in the Nordost-Institut on several levels throughout the duration of their stay. On the one hand a member of the scholarly staff will support the research work of the visitor throughout their stay and the fellow academics will be available for scholarly discussion. On the other hand the visiting Fellow is expected to contribute to the multiple engagements of the Institute, for example, by offering to give a presentation, a lecture or a talk to the general public (cultural outreach).
The institute will provide a workplace on its premises for the duration of the fellowship. The extensive Nordost Library can be accessed for use as a specialised library. Moreover, due to its manifold research projects, work groups, workshops and conferences, the institute offers first-hand insight into academic research engagement and a discourse culture on a regional, national and international level.
The Nordost-Institut guarantees gender equality at work. In cases of equivalent aptitude, skill and professional achievement, women and severely disabled persons will be given special consideration, the former as required by the Federal Equality Act [Bundesgleichstellungsgesetz], the latter in accordance with the German Social Code Book IX [Sozialgesetzbuch IX]. Only a minimal degree of physical capacity is required in cases of severely disabled persons. Applications from researchers from international crisis regions will be given special consideration.