Gerda Henkel Tandem Fellowships for the Global History of Ideas

The global history of ideas examines transnational and, above all, transcultural connections between bodies of knowledge. However, questions concerning global interconnections and knowledge transfer present researchers with a particular challenge, as no one can possess all the language skills and competencies required to tackle these issues whilst also possessing expertise in Europe and China, Africa and South America, or Islam and Hinduism. This is where the fellowship programme comes in, by focusing on a collaborative approach to academic work.

Pairs of researchers whose expertise complements one another effectively in relation to a specific research question are invited to submit an application with a joint proposal, e.g. a sinologist and a specialist in 18th-century Europe, an Islamic studies scholar and a Renaissance researcher, or an African studies scholar and a Latin American expert. The aim is to address research questions that reveal wide-ranging transmissions or interconnections. The work will draw on the wealth of source material held in Gotha as a basis for jointly developing a publication or a follow-up grant application.

A unique feature of Gotha as a location is that it offers three distinct elements in one place: (1) one of Germany’s largest early modern libraries, (2) an early modern royal palace with extensive collections of artefacts and art from around the world, and (3) a university research centre with expertise in the history of ideas, culture and knowledge. This not only offers the opportunity for research under expert supervision, but also the chance to combine different types of sources: written sources such as manuscripts and early printed books can be linked at their original location – and thus within the historical context of the collection – with objects from the ducal art and natural history cabinet, the ethnological collection, the Gotha Perthes Collection, the picture gallery, the Chinese cabinet, etc. This creates significant added value in the analysis and lends far greater significance to the insights gained from this comprehensive overview.

The fellowship programme aims to create synergies between subject-specific and language-specific bodies of knowledge and, in particular, to help bring expertise from the Global South and so-called ‘minor subjects’ into the research projects at the Gotha Research Centre. In this way, established narratives in early modern studies can be challenged and European perspectives decentreed.

We are seeking research tandems comprising two postdocs who have written their doctoral theses in two different disciplines and are applying with a joint project. Applications for scholarships may be submitted for a period of three to a maximum of six months. The start date is 1 March 2027 at the earliest; the scholarship must be completed by 31 December 2027 at the latest. The scholarship amount is EUR 2,300 per month. Grants towards publication costs are also available.

Further information, including details on how to apply, can be found on our scholarship website.