Call for applications

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is inviting applications from early-career researchers from various disciplines to participate in a symposium organised jointly with the British Academy on the broad theme of “Belonging”.

The symposium will take place from 07 to 09 May 2025 in Berlin (Germany) and aims to stimulate and establish international engagement and collaboration between early-career researchers in Germany and the United Kingdom working in a broad range of disciplines. It is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas across both disciplinary and national boundaries by adopting a format that will allow for extensive discussion and debate, with considerable time set aside for this and other networking opportunities.

Thematic focus

Conceptions of belonging, both in legal/material and in imaginary/symbolic terms, interact with people’s sense of identity, shaping the way in which individuals, communities and societies understand themselves and interact with the world around them. What does it mean to belong to a community, a society or a state? How is this sense of belonging – or exclusion from it – produced, maintained, expressed and represented?

Notions of belonging allow us to explore connections between space, place and identity. This symposium seeks to bring a highly interdisciplinary lens to this work, exploring ideas of belonging and identity in relation to borders and boundaries, both physical and ideological. It will explore the way that heritage and memory are conceptualised, how literatures of place and origin narratives are developed, and the role that emotion plays in perceptions and conceptions of belonging. Identities are often defined and reinforced in relation to a proximate other; this symposium will also consider the implications of this for the way communities engage or have engaged with both internal and external forces.

It is expected that the symposium will include a series of sessions focusing on:

• mutability of belonging
• nature of belonging
• representations of belonging

Each of these sessions will draw on the broad range of disciplines and expertise present to re-evaluate our understanding of belonging, the forces that affect it, the ways it is manifested, and the ways that it can be harnessed for both good and ill.

Seed Funding / CONNECT

To encourage and support long-term collaboration and networking, participants may apply for seed funding provided by the British Academy. These collaborations must be international and take the form of either partnerships or groups. The funding is designed to facilitate collaborations that arise directly from the symposium.

Participants are also eligible to apply for CONNECT, a follow-up programme for participants of Frontiers of Research Symposia offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. It provides grants for short working visits to Germany or the United Kingdom that can be taken up at any time following the symposium.

Eligibility requirements for researchers from Germany

Researchers at all career stages are eligible to apply provided that they

• are based in Germany,
• work at research institutions in Germany,
• have completed a PhD within the last ten years,
• are fluent in spoken and written English.

Participants are expected to attend the entire symposium. Attending the event in its entirety is mandatory in order to meet the requirements to apply for BA’s seed funding or the Humboldt Foundation’s CONNECT programme.

Application process

Applications may be submitted online at https://humboldt-frontiers-of-research.net/application/ until 08 January 2025. Only applications received by the deadline will be considered.

Applicants should provide:

• the completed application form (accessible via the link)
• a curriculum vitae (two pages max.)
• a list of key publications (one page max.)

Applications must be completed in English. Once you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact stephanie.dill[at]avh.de.

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• proven research interest in and/or experience with the symposium topic
• previous commitment to and experience with interdisciplinary research projects
• added value of the symposium for applicant’s academic career development

Successful applicants will be notified of their selection in February 2025.

Logistics

Duration: Evening of 07 May to evening of 09 May 2025

Venue: German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Rauchstraße 17/18, 10787 Berlin

Accommodation: 07 to 09 May 2025 (3 nights)

Hotel: (tba)

Participants' travel, accommodation and meal expenses will be covered by both organisations for the specified conference dates.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact stephanie.dill[at]avh.de.