Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Practical Philosophy, Social Philosophy & Center for Human Studies and Social Change - Rahel Jaeggi

The Centre for Social Critique at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin is inviting fellowship applications for the academic year 2023/24, beginning October 1st, 2023 and ending September 30th, 2024.

The Centre for Social Critique is devoted to examining the crisis-prone relationship between capitalism and democracy. In the upcoming years, we would like to establish a research project focusing on “socialization”. We intend the awarded fellowship as seed money for developing a substantive research proposal (either individual or for a small research group) on “socialization” that attracts third party funding.

In many debates, e.g., on the socialization of major housing companies in Berlin or on the upcoming transformation of the energy sector, “socialization” is a shorthand for new solidary ways of democratically producing and distributing social wealth. Such socialization can either be aimed at specific goods or industries, such as housing or energy, or envision a general transformation of society’s production and ownership structures. The concept routinely functions as a promise that transformed or newly established social institutions and infrastructures will be able to address claims and interests, that are passed over in the standard structures of production and care, in a solidary and inclusive way. This is particularly true in instances where commodification, marketization, and financialization have undermined or even dissolved other normative relationship models. The struggle for socialization comes often with aspirations to deeper social transformation that need further theoretical substantiation.

We are interested in contributions to the debate on “socialization” from the field of social philosophy. Successful proposals address normative and conceptual aspects such as the relation of socialization to democracy, the overcoming of exclusions through socialization or the differentiation between socialization, expropriation, and nationalization, while taking the historical dimension of the topic into account as well.

Please note: We will only consider proposals that clearly identify a long-term perspective of collaborative research on “socialization.”

The fellowship is intended to be residential. Fellows are expected to devote the majority of their time to developing the research proposal and to participate in our weekly colloquia. In addition, fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in public events hosted by the Centre for Social Critique.

The call for applications is directed at postdocs, holding a PhD in Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science or related fields. Successful candidates are expected to have a record of published research on “socialization” or closely related topics.

Your application should include a motivation letter, your academic CV, a relevant publication of article length, and a three-page project outline.

Application deadline: April 23^rd, 2023, 12 PM (CET)

Please submit your application via the form on our website.

FAQ

1. What is the amount of the scholarship?

The scholarship is based on the rates of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Travel expenses can be covered in individual cases. If you would like to make use of this, please let us know in your application.

1. Do all scholarships have to begin on October 1^st, 2023?

Except for minor discrepancies, the fellowship need to start October 1^st 2023.

1. When will I be informed about the result of the selection process?

You will be informed about the outcome by the end of May 2023.