Gerda Henkel Foundation: Funding Programme Democracy: Democracy as Utopia, Experience and Threat Grant

Gerda Henkel Foundation: Funding Programme Democracy: Democracy as Utopia, Experience and Threat Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Gerda Henkel Foundation
Amount: US $69,120 - US $133,920
Last Updated: December 20, 2024

Summary

The Gerda Henkel Foundation supports research in the humanities and social sciences, particularly regarding democracy's evolving nature. This funding program addresses historical and contemporary perspectives on democracy, encouraging projects that explore its challenges and transformations. Applications are invited from post-doctoral researchers involved in collaborative projects, focusing on themes such as political participation, social justice, and the impact of populism. The initiative aims to enhance understanding of democracy's complexities and promote informed discourse about future democratic societies.

Overview

Principles The Gerda Henkel Foundation is an incorporated foundation under civil law (§ 1 StiftG NW). The object of the Foundation is to promote science, primarily by supporting specific projects in the field of the humanities that have a specific specialist scope and are limited in time and the related publications, in particular: by supporting research projects by scholars inside and outside Germany on carefully defined themes in the humanities,by awarding scholarships (in particular for research and Ph.D. projects) to scholars inside and outside Germany,by undertaking and supporting measures on a scientific basis in the field of monument preservation as well as by undertaking and supporting all measures that are suited to further the object of the Foundation,by carrying out measures to enhance public awareness in the above-mentioned fields that support the Foundation’s object. Other objectives of the Foundation are: to promote assistance for persons subject to political, racial or religious persecution, refugees, expellees, war victims, surviving dependents of war, people injured by war, injured and disabled civilians as well as the victims of crimes.to promote an international mindset, tolerance and understanding among nations.to promote development assistance. Fields Supported Support is primarily provided for the historical humanities, in particular to support research projects in the following fields: ArchaeologyHistoryHistorical Islamic StudiesArt HistoryHistory of LawPrehistory and Early HistoryHistory of Science Funding Programme Democracy Taking this present-day experience as a starting point, the Gerda Henkel Foundation has established a new funding initiative for democracy, which is divided into two subsections with different perspectives: The first, historically oriented subsection on the topic of Democracy as a Utopia, Experience and Threats aims at placing the aforementioned problematic issues in the broader historical context and considering the history of conflicts over the foundation of the social order.The second subsection, which is oriented towards analysis of the present situation and predictions for the future, focuses on Transformations of Democracy? Or: The Contours of Future Democratic Society. It represents an invitation to venture contributions, speculations and assertions so that we might learn to better understand the complex present-day situation and the processes of profound transformation that are taking shape while also trying to trace the contours of future society. Call for Applications for Subsection 1: Democracy as Utopia, Experience and Threat “Democracy”, as an overriding concept of this historically-oriented funding programme spanning different eras, may be simply a search direction, a heuristic guideline, and not a universalization of any – for example, our current – social and political system. The focus here is on the history of confrontation concerning the basic principles of social order, whereby there is a clash of demands for enhanced participation, for greater scope for self-organization, for more justice, or for the dismantling of hierarchies on the one hand, and on the other the value systems of those who consider the relevant status quo worthy of preservation or who see entirely different objectives of fairness, freedom and hierarchization as worth fighting for. These confrontations took place and continue to take place from ancient times until today, sometimes with and sometimes without application of any concept of democracy. What they can provide information about is the diversity of the value systems, the preconceptions of justice, and the ideals of a good society that are brought to the field by the conflicting sides. These sorts of histories of conflict over a just order, good leadership and participation in both therefore make it necessary for the preconceptions of values and order of all the conflicting sides to be taken into account. Only this way does it become possible to historicize the diverse histories of conflict over good order, and thus to understand them in their relevant historical context: It can’t just be about the proponents of enhanced participation or a more comprehensive form of justice, not only about social movements and their hierarchies or criticism of the elite. After all, the relevant proponents of limited participation, selective socialization concepts and preconceptions of justice and freedom that cannot be universalized are equally important. The examination of conflict histories within societies that see themselves as democratic requires just this multiperspectivity: There is an interplay between the social movements and protests that critically oppose the relevant established forms of democracy and defenders of the established order and their preconceptions of participation, justice and freedom. With the triad of concepts “utopia, experience and threat”, three of the key references to conflicting social value systems from ancient times to today are touched upon: Social movements inspired by utopias determine ideal preconceptions of politics, religion and society and fight for their realization. In societies that see themselves as democracies, people have experiences, which they mobilize in a way that is critical of democracy – be it against democracy as such or against specific aspects of the relevant established democratic order. The historically – and currently – frequently found references to conflicting social value systems is the impression of threat, as a result of which, for example, ruling elites deploy their law enforcement forces against social movements, various social groups fight for re-order and new order, religiously based preconceptions of society or justice come into conflict, or social inequality becomes a political issue. All three points of reference can be utilized for historical research into conflict histories surrounding the correct order and just society. They expand the theme of the funding programme beyond the classic fields of protest and revolutionary history, or the history of constitutions, elections and political parties – which are likewise part of it all – to include a multiperspectival history of conflict and culture surrounding the right order in society and politics.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applications are open to post-doctoral researchers with links to a university from the entire spectrum of humanities and social sciences.The proposed projects must address focal themes that are being examined by a research group, which the Foundation understands to mean teams of at least two scholars actively taking part in the project work, who are to be funded by grants from the Foundation and are researching shared topics. Only post-doctoral or research grants will be considered. Applications for a research grant for the applicant (project leader) are also permitted. In total, a maximum of three grants plus funds for travel and equipment may be applied for by each research group.The funding program also provides for the project partners to participate in a public “workshop discussion on democracy” or “workshop discussion on future society” organized annually by the Foundation.The maximum duration is 36 months.The applicants must be actively involved in the research work of the project.Applications which the Foundation has turned down cannot be resubmitted, even for a different funding initiative or in a revised version.Candidates can apply regardless of their nationality and place of work.

Ineligibility

Applications for individual grants outside of a research group are not permitted.The simultaneous receipt of salary or retirement pension and a research scholarship is not possible.Support is not provided for:Final projects of bachelor and master studentsStudies under PhD levelPositions (temporary or permanent)Academic institutions by way of endowmentsFestschrifts or dictionariesAnnual meetings and academic anniversariesPublications which are not related to projects already being supported by the FoundationExcursionsConferences that are not initiated by the FoundationIndividual trips to attend scholarly conferences outside the scope of the projects receiving fundingExhibition projects which are not related to projects already supported by the FoundationIf not part of the thematic special funding programmes, support cannot be provided for projects and persons in the following fields:MedicineNatural and Engineering SciencesPsychologyLinguistics and Literature StudiesDrama or Film StudiesEconomicsFoundation does not cover overhead costs.Foundation does not cover college or tuition fees.