CAS has partnered with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to create the Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE) to enable scholars to undertake research, writing, and local fieldwork in Bulgaria and engage in interdisciplinary discussions. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, ACLS and CAS will convene leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a two-week residency, hosted by the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.
With international travel restricted over the past two years due to the pandemic, many scholars have been forced to delay their research. SISECSE will provide participating scholars with two weeks to dedicate to their own research and writing in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting. Participants will also be able to undertake local fieldwork, including archival research, work in museum collections, interviews, site surveys, or other forms of data collection. In addition to conducting their own research, scholars will also have the opportunity to participate in small group writing workshops, as well as a series of immersive discussions on a broad topic of shared academic interest.
The program will cover travel, accommodation, and per diem expenses. Institute members will be expected to be in residence and to participate in all planned events for the duration of the institute. Scholars will also be provided with opportunities to travel locally during this time. Scholars should apply with their own research proposals through the ACLS online system.
Eligibility
The competition will be open to scholars in any field or discipline in the humanities and interpretive social sciences pursuing postdoctoral or advanced research in the region (Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine).
Scholars should be based at institutions in North America (US, Canada, Mexico) or Central/Eastern Europe (see the list above).
Details
- The program will cover travel, accommodation, and per diem expenses for the two-week residential institute.
- Institute members will be expected to be in residence and to participate in all planned events for the duration of the institute.
- Scholars will also be provided with opportunities to travel locally during this time.
- Scholars should apply with their own research proposals through the ACLS online system.
Information on how to apply to attend the 2023 Summer Institute is available on the competition page.
About ACLS
Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 79 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its $170 million endowment and $36 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship. In all aspects of our work, ACLS is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice.
This program is made possible thanks to a generous donation by Carl and Betty Pforzheimer.