About the Role
Fellowship Features:\n\nUp to six-month research residency at a host institution in Lower Saxony\nCompetitive scholarship based on a “no gain, no loss” principle or compensatory payment to the home institution\nTravel and accommodation allowances\nFamily support, if applicable\nIntegration into the host institution with tailored academic and networking support\nJoint cohort activities and exchange formats for fellows and tandem partners\n\n
Annual Theme 2027 “Humans and AI: Perspectives from the Humanities and Social Sciences”\nThe 2027 Hannah Arendt Fellowships invite international scholars to interrogate how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving – and being driven by – profound socio-cultural transformations. How does AI, understood as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon rather than merely a technical tool, reconfigure the relationship between human agency, forms of subjectivity, societal structures, and the public sphere?\nWe welcome inquiries that bridge abstract reflection and the lived experience of technological change, examining how AI is conceptually framed, historically situated, and contested within our common world. Fellowship projects may explore these aspects through a broad range of methodologies, from empirical to theoretical work, including contributions to the philosophy of science. Some central questions concern the role of academia, (collective) authorship, and the critical analysis of sources, examined through both historical and contemporary perspectives.\nAs a research horizon, ‘Humans and AI’ may encompass various subtopics, including:\n\nHuman agency, action, and responsibility, including the negotiation of autonomy, decision-making, and accountability.\nSocial, cultural, and political dynamics, examining power relations, processes of alienation, trends of totalisation, and the shaping of the public sphere.\nJustice and legitimacy, reflecting on equality, trust, normative frameworks, and the societal implications of AI-driven change.\nKnowledge, authorship, and creativity, addressing the shifting nature of originality and invention, as well as the fundamental epistemological challenges regarding the provenance, integrity, and knowledge in the age of AI.\n\nWho Can Apply:\nApplications are open to postdoctoral and established international scholars in the Humanities, Cultural Studies, and Social Sciences. Two pathways are possible: 1) applicants invited by a local researcher at a host institution in Lower Saxony, or 2) applicants who independently establish a tandem partnership with a host institution. In all cases, projects and activities should be developed collaboratively with the tandem partner and confirmed through a signed letter of intent (see application form) when applying.\n\nRequired Documents (please submit as a single PDF):\n\nSigned application & letter of intent (between the applicant, tandem partner, and host; see application form)\nCurriculum vitae and list of key publications\nFellowship project proposal (in English, max. 3 pages / 1,500 words, excluding bibliography)\nOptional: letter(s) of recommendation\n\n
Submission & Contact:\nWe look forward to receiving your application by 1 June 2026 to:
ha-fellowships@adwgoe.de.\nFor inquiries about the fellowship programme or the application process, please contact:\nAnna Derksen (Academic Project Manager)
Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities
+49 (0)551 39-37042
anna.derksen@adwgoe.de
https://adw-goe.de/artikel/fellowships-2027/