Recommendations for submitting an application to the “Mediterranean program”
1. The research project must have a content relevant to the intention of spending a research stay in an institute for advanced study based in Marseille.
2. The research project must have a content relevant to the thematic lines of the “Mediterranean” program.
Application and Residency Conditions
Two major reasons led to the creation of an Albert O. Hirschman Chair at Iméra in Marseille. The first is an act of recognition, considering the historical role Albert Hirschman had in Marseille between 1940-41. He was the deputy to Varian Fry, who headed the Emergency Rescue Committee, helping to save hundreds of personalities who needed to escape and leave Europe due to Nazism, starting from Marseille. The second reason is the eminent scientific role he embodies. As a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Hirschman is a world-renowned scientific authority and an original thinker in the field of social sciences. He notably published The Passions and the Interests: Political Arguments for Capitalism Before Its Triumph, which is why it was decided to orient this chair around identity passions between Europe and the Mediterranean.
Hirschman embodies an open and fully interdisciplinary thinking. He invites us, based on his historical experience and civic engagement, to be vigilant against the rise of identity passions between Europe and the Mediterranean. Through his career as an economist and social scientist, particularly in his two major works: Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States and The Passions and the Interests, he lays the foundations for a close link between economics and politics. Albert Hirschman reminds us that economic and social sciences are concerned not only with seeking laws but also with seeking meaning.
The research themes of the Chair, within the framework of relations between Europe and the Mediterranean, are:
- Studies of collective passions
- Studies of national and identity movements
- Studies of social and political behaviors
- Studies of protest mobilizations
- Studies of mobilities, migrations, and their societal impacts
- Studies of politico-religious movements, particularly centered on Islam
- Studies of political forms, especially democratic fragilities
- Cross-disciplinary studies
- Application deadline: October 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM (French time)
- Residency duration: 5 months
- Proposed residency periods: from February 9, 2026 to January 30, 2026
The Albert Hirschman Iméra / Sciences Po Aix Chair is open to researchers with proven scientific excellence in one of the research areas related to political economy and the social sciences of politics. Eligible candidates must meet the following conditions:
- Hold a Ph.D. or doctorate
- Not have resided in France for more than 12 months in the 3 years preceding the call for applications
- Have a work contract (permanent or not) with a foreign university or research institution during the residency
The chairholder will receive a 2,500 euros fixed monthly allowance during their stay.
They also receive travel expense coverage and free accommodation on the Iméra site.
The evaluation criteria include, but are not limited to:
- The scientific excellence of the researcher by the highest international standards in the field
- The scientific quality of the project, particularly its interdisciplinary dimension, crucial for the researcher’s integration into the collective research dynamic at Iméra
- The researcher’s ability to provide forward-looking reflections
- The international recognition of the researcher
The online application file consists of the following documents:
- The completed application form (mandatory fields)
- Files to upload:
- A curriculum vitae including a list of publications.
- A presentation of the research project (maximum 5 pages) followed by a selective bibliography.
- Optional: A support letter from a researcher or professor from the Aix-Marseille site and/or a letter of reference from someone who has played a decisive role in the scientific career of the candidate.
A founding member of Iméra, Sciences Po Aix is an educational and research institution that is part of the network of top-ranking major political science schools and supports numerous cooperation projects with other scientific operators in the region, such as Aix-Marseille University and the CNRS. AlsoFounding member of the excellence initiative A*Midex, Sciences Po Aix oversees three major UMRs in the Aix-Marseille region: MESOPOLHIS – Mediterranean Center for Sociology, Political Science, and History (MESOPOLHIS UMR 7064); DICE – International, Comparative, and European Law (DICE); and AMSE – Aix-Marseille School of Economics (AMSE). An active player in the structuring of the humanities and social sciences on the academic site, this prestigious school places the study of subjects connected to the transformations of the contemporary world at the heart of its scientific approach, which in turn enriches its multidisciplinary training offer through innovative pedagogical experiences (RSO and BWS programs), partnership chairs, or events that highlight the latest scientific advances: the “Sciences Po Aix in the City” conference-debate cycle or the Franco-German Forum on the Mediterranean (organized with Iméra, CFAP, and the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation).
