The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut announces the availability of fellowships in civil society and citizenship research in and on the Arab region. The objective of the fellowship is to provide space for critical, inter-disciplinary thinking on citizenship and/or civil society within the Arab region, and particularly to enable individuals to conduct and publish research. Fellows’ projects can either be focused on a particular country, a region, or a comparison between countries. Furthermore, it can either be a historic or currentanalytical study.
The two themes are:
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Citizenship: In-depth study of citizen-state relations, which could include legal citizens, residents, and/or statelessness. Citizen-state, or society-state relations, are broadly understood to be interactions between state institutions and societal groups or individuals to negotiate how public authority is exercised and how it can be influenced by people, with a focus on the mutual rights and obligations. The study could include various aspects: (1) political life; (2) social and economic rights; (3) legal dimensions; and/or (4) gender and identity.
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Civil Society: In-depth study of social movements, including studies on sustainability, discourse and organization, on either a one-issue campaign or a broad campaign, to understand and explore the lessons learned. What are the obstacles and opportunities for successful and sustainable social movements? These questions could be researched and examined from three perspectives: individual (e.g., what motivates and supports individuals to action?), organizational (e.g., what models of social movement organization are sustainable?), or institutional (e.g., which legislation that is prohibitive or supportive to organizations).
Fellows are expected to present at least one public lecture on the topic and are encouraged to participate in the intellectual life of the Asfari Institute by organizing and/or participating in conferences, seminars, roundtable discussions or workshops. The Asfari Institute may publish research in its entirety or a version thereof as per prior agreement.
Fellowships are up to 6 months in length, preferably full-time, and would include provision of workspace and access to all university libraries and services. The Fellowship also includes an approximate stipend of $3500 per month (subject to local taxes). For applicants residing outside of Lebanon, one round-trip airfare to Beirut is provided as well.
Timeline for the Fellowship Application Procedure
Fellowships are open to academics or practitioners. Proposals can be in either English or Arabic.
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By January 30, 2016: Applicants submit a one-page letter of inquiry outlining the main ideas, and a curriculum vitae (CV).
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By February 15, 2016: Accepted letters of inquiry would receive aletter of invitation to apply.
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By March 24, 2016: Applicants submit a detailed research proposal that includes a description of the project, anticipated goals, methodology and expected outcomes, and a presentation of the significance and relevance of the proposal to the above themes.
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By May 25, 2016: Accepted fellowship proposals would be announced.
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Six-month fellowships begin no earlier than September 2016 and conclude no later than October 2017.
Letters of Inquiry and Fellowships Proposals are reviewed and decided by the Asfari Institute Fellowship Review Board.
Please send inquiries to the Asfari Institute at asfariinst@aub.edu.lb.