'Social Relevance of the Humanities' fellowship program (RevHum)
The “Social Relevance of the Humanities” (RevHum) fellowship programme, proposed jointly by the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia and the New Europe College Bucharest and developed with the financial support of the Porticus Foundation, aims to underscore the cognitive functions of the humanities and their potential as critical disciplines by opening them up to issues relevant in/for the contemporary world – issues that are “practical”, but also epistemological, ethical, philosophical, etc. The programme is intended to accommodate a broadest range of themes pertaining to humanities and social science disciplines provided that they link up to contemporary debates about or major challenges to the human condition stemming from the technological advances and ‘digital modernity’.
The programme is guided by the belief that there is a considerable added value for humanities scholars across the academe, whatever their field, to be encouraged to rethink their topics in terms of their broader contemporary relevance (be it political, ethical, religious or academic), yet necessarily of significance for the world we are living in.
The programme addresses international scholars.
FORMAT
CAS Sofia provides in-residence RevHum fellowships of five- to ten-months duration to post-doctoral non-Bulgarian researchers. Junior as well as Senior scholars are invited to apply.
The selected Fellows are entitled to:
- A monthly stipend of 850 Euro (liable to 10% income tax) to cover living expenses related to the stay in Sofia.
- Accommodation in Sofia, comprising living quarters and working space. The Fellows will also have free access to the CAS library and electronic resources/databases. Travel, insurance and visa allowance (up to 850 Euro);
- Research travel abroad (from 750 up to 1500 Euro);
- Research expenses (up to 100 Euro per fellowship month).
DURATION AND CONDITIONS
Candidates may apply for a period of five or nine months:
- 1 October 2025 – 28 February 2026 (Winter semester)
- 1 March 2026 – 31 July 2026 (Summer semester)
- 1 October 2025 – 31 July 2026 (Full academic year, ten months)
N.B. The duration of the fellowship period should be well justified by a detailed research plan and proposal description.
The selected Fellows shall take part in the regular Fellow seminars and the other scientific events organized by the Centre (workshops, conferences, lectures, etc.) and present their project in lectures or seminars. The results of their work shall be summarized in a paper (in English).
ELIGIBILITY
Candidates must:
- Be non-Bulgarian citizens;
- Have completed a PhD in the fields of the humanities and the social sciences;
- Have international research experience (participation in projects and refereed conferences) and publications in peer-reviewed academic editions are strong advantages.
WORKING LANGUAGE
As an international academic institution CAS conducts most of its work in English, which is also the language of the fellow seminars. Therefore, a good command of English is required.
APPLICATION
Links for downloading:
Please carefully consider the above documents when preparing your application. For Junior scholars (up to 8 years after PhD defense) only: two letters of recommendation by scholars familiar with the applicant’s academic work should be emailed to CAS by the referees.
All application documents should be presented in English and sent by e-mail to dimov@cas.bg with a subject entry “RevHum Fellowships.”
Deadline for applications: March 31, 2025
SELECTION CRITERIA
- High quality of the candidate’s academic portfolio and publications, participation in international research;
- Innovative fundamental research proposal with significant contribution;
- Interdisciplinary and/or comparative approaches are an advantage.
SELECTION PROCEDURE
The selection will be carried out by the international Academic Council of CAS based on evaluation of the potential of the candidate relative to his/her career stage and the quality of the proposed project. Short-listed candidates will be invited for an on-line interview at the end of June, 2025. The results will be announced in July 2025 by e-mail and at the website of the institute: https://cas.bg. Members of the CAS Academic Council do not disclose to candidates their assessment reports.
The Academic Council reserves the right, in cases of candidatures with equal assessment, to give preference to candidates who have not been CAS Fellows during the preceding 5 years or have already been granted two CAS fellowships.
CONTACT PERSON AND MAILING ADDRESS
Mr. Dimiter Dimov, e-mail: dimov@cas.bg
Centre for Advanced Study Sofia; Sofia 1000, 7-B, Stefan Karadja Str,
tel.: + 359 2 980 08 43
