Recommendations for submitting an application to the “Necessary Utopias”:
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 “Necessary Utopias” program.
Application and Residency Conditions 2025-26
The EHESS / Iméra fellowship in ‘Transregional Studies’ aims to develop, on the highest international level, research on circulation and exchange – between humans, non-humans and things; words, ideas and doctrines; practices, techniques and languages – in the past, present and future. Particularly welcome are innovative interdisciplinary approaches with strong empirical grounding. Successful projects will take into account the impact of scale and connections on the configuration of social realities – without neglecting the obstacles, divisions and conflicts that are intrinsic to the movement of people and things.
We particularly encourage applicants who propose transcend the boundaries of classical area studies, by, for instance, focusing on south-south exchange; and those working towards decentring perspectives, moving beyond the constraints of nation, state, even region. The fellowship is part of the programme ‘Necessary Utopias’, and therefore aims to bring to light politically unexpected or improbable, yet humanly necessary, possibilities for (collective) life. Applicants are also encouraged to explore different forms and formats of scientific writing.
Successful candidates will be expected to develop these subjects in a framework that furthers cooperation between the different components of the EHESS campus in Marseille on the one hand, and Iméra on the other, and to make results publicly accessible, in whatever ways candidates judge most appropriate.
- Application deadline: October 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM (French time)
- Residency duration: 5 or 10 months between September 2025 and July 2026
Proposed residency periods (candidate’s choice, multiple choices possible):
- 10-month residency: from September 1, 2025 to July 3, 2026
- 5-month residency in the first semester: from September 1, 2025 to January 30, 2026
- 5-month residency in the second semester: from February 9, 2026 to July 3, 2026
The EHESS/Iméra chair is open to experienced researchers from all social sciences. Applicants should submit an innovative project on trans-regional comparisons among any regions of the world. Special attention will be paid to those projects which analyse contemporary issues from a long-run historical perspective.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following conditions:
- Not to have lived in France more than 12 months during the 3 years preceding this call for applications
- Hold a Doctorate or PhD (except for Professors holding a permanent position in the schools of fine arts & design)
- Have an employment contract (permanent or not) in a foreign university or research institution during the residency
The holder of the Chair receives a monthly allowance of 2500 euros.
She/he will also benefit from paid travel expenses and free accommodation on Iméra premises.
Application assessment criteria include, but are not limited to:
- The scientific excellence of the researcher according to the highest international standards in the field
- The scientific excellence of the project including its interdisciplinary dimension, which is crucial for the insertion of the researcher in the dynamics of collective research at Iméra
- The capacity to carry the scientific collaboration between EHESS and Iméra
- Scientific excellence and originality of the proposed series of public conferences (a key selection criterion)
Online applications must include the following supporting documents:
- A duly completed application form (mandatory fields)
- All the following files (to download):
- A curriculum vitae including a list of publications
- A presentation of the project (maximum 5 pages) followed by a selective bibliography (compulsory for researchers)
- Optional: A letter of support from an Aix-Marseille academic site researcher or associate/assistant professor and/or a letter of reference from someone who has played a decisive role in the scientific career of the candidate
The EHESS – Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales is a large establishment whose missions are research and teaching of research in the social sciences. It carries out its activities at its headquarters and in its regional centers in Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse. Iméra works closely with the EHESS Marseille campus: created in 1977, the EHESS Marseille campus, supported by the City of Marseille and in synergy with Aix-Marseille University, has developed a set of teaching activities for masters and doctorates and interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences (history, anthropology, sociology, economics, etc.). The EHESS Marseille campus, half of whose students are foreigners, is also a center for scientific cooperation on an international scale.
