12 Fellowships in Cultural Studies and the Humanities

The Käte Hamburger Centre CURE at Saarland University is an institute for advanced study, funded by the German Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). For the centre’s third year, we are pleased to invite applications for up to twelve fellowships with a duration of ten to twelve months (beginning in October 2026).

Questions about reparation and irreparability are at the heart of CURE’s research programme, taken up by fellows and members of the KHK CURE team from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Many harms and damages, such as the destruction of cultural heritage in colonised regions, the trauma of war, or the consequences of climate change, cannot be undone. Such irreversible harms often trigger complex processes of negotiation that can reshape reflexive forms of cultural identity and newly imagined or created life worlds. They raise the question of how to build a shared future in which we and others can live despite a past scarred by violence, injustice, and the destruction of natural environments. Economic and legal compensation is often a prerequisite for dismantling asymmetrical situations and structures. But it is most often the case that enduring wounds suffered by individuals, and the harm done to their lifeworlds, can be addressed only through cultural and social practices.

Applications may be submitted by scholars in Cultural Studies and the Humanities who have completed a PhD (submitted and defended) by the application deadline.

Artists who hold a doctorate and have experience in academic collaboration are also encouraged to apply for an academic fellowship.

Those without a completed doctorate, as well as members of Saarland University, are not eligible to apply.

Applications should outline an independent research project that is relevant to the research agenda of the centre and will be pursued during the fellowship. The project should align with at least one of the centres’ three thematic fields – ‘history’, ‘experience’, and ‘nature’ – and relate to the third of the four designated themes, which is “bodies”.

Further information on the centre’s thematic fields can be found on the centre’s website: https://cure.uni-saarland.de/forschung/forschungsprogramm/.

Duration and conditions

Fellowships are usually awarded for 10 to 12 months, always starting on 1 October. The fellowship guidelines of Saarland University provide two funding options.

1. Fellows who take unpaid leave from their home institution (or are independent scholars or artists) during the fellowship will receive financial compensation in the form of a stipend (at least 6,100 to 7,200 euros per month before taxes, depending on their qualifications).
2. If a fellow chooses to keep their current salary and benefits, KHK CURE will pay their home institution the equivalent salary for a teaching replacement.

Accommodation in modern apartments is provided free of charge, and accommodation for families can also be arranged if required. Similarly, the expenses for traveling to and from Saarbrücken will be reimbursed once according to the Saarland Travel Expense Act (SRKG). Fellows will be provided with a fully equipped workspace at the centre.

Insurance and all other living costs must be covered by the fellows themselves.

Fellows are expected to contribute to the work of the centre on-site during the duration of their fellowship; longer absences from the centre for extended research trips or stays are not possible.

Deadline for applications is 15 December 2025.