The International Visegrad Fund in coop­er­a­tion with the Open Society Archives Budapest offers international scholarships to selected scholars, researchers or journalists. The fel­low­ships are given on a com­pet­i­tive basis to scholars, artists or journalists who wish to con­duct research at the Open Society Archives (OSA) at the Central European University in Budapest.

The pur­pose of the fund is to facilitate and pro­mote the devel­op­ment of closer coop­er­a­tion among cit­i­zens and insti­tu­tions in the region as well as between the V4 region and other coun­tries, espe­cially in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership regions.

The International Visegrad Fund is an inter­na­tional orga­ni­za­tion based in Bratislava founded by the govern­ments of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries—the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, and the Slovak Republic.

In order to apply for these scholarships, applicants should pass the officially recognized advanced level English language exam.

Brief Description

• Course Level: Scholarships are awarded for pursuing a research program at the Open Society Archives (OSA) at the Central European University in Budapest.
• Study Subject (s):
• Toolkits and media practices to ensure objectivity
• Conceptualizing and classifying opposition(selection and support for what counts as a “movement”, “dissidence” or “non-conformism”)
• Techno-sciences of mass communication
• Circuits of communication and (anti-)propaganda techniques: information gathering and classification, textual and visual dissemination (book programs, samizdat, TV monitoring, instructional and documentary movies)
• Problems of documentation and verification of human rights abuses
• Construction of political ‘facts’ amidst socio-economic issues (standards of living, urbanization, education, religion etc); Historical analysis of socialist welfare policy and poverty under communism
• Documenting transnational phenomena in a time of polarized visions and imbalances between centers and peripheries
• Consequences of Cold War conceptual schemes and treatment of information on current economic and socio-political issues
• Reflection on the (Cold War) receptions, instrumentalizations, and revisions of the history and the notion of the Revolution
• Scholarship Award: The two-month scholarship grant is 2.000 euros without financial reporting responsibility. Stipends for shorter research periods are pro-rated.
• Scholarship can be taken in Hungary

Eligibility

While working on their own subject, fellows will have the opportunity to collaborate with OSA researchers and to transform their archival investigation into a full research experience. The fellows are invited to give a final presentation about their research findings at OSA and the ways in which the documents were relevant to their research. The presentations are organized within the Visegrad Scholarship at OSA lecture series and as such former Visegrad alumni and external guests can also attend.

OSA academic and archival staff will assist the fellows in their investigations, facilitate contact with the CEU community, and grant access to the CEU library. Besides its archival analog collections, OSA can also offer access to unique, audio-visual materials related to documentary practices, a special collection of RFE (anti)propaganda books and a growing collection of digital humanities, human rights, archival theory, and philosophy..

Research Scholarships

How to Apply

Please submit the following to OSA:

1. Application letter in English (should specify the expected period of stay and preferred dates). Please note that the Archive’s Research Room is closed during the Christmas period, and the research stay must end on the last day of the given academic year, July 31.
2. Research description/plan in English (about 800 words and should include the following: introduction, presentation of the stage of research, the literature on the subject, preliminary hypothesis, questions, identification of possible documents in the OSA holdings). Artists are expected to submit a portfolio, too.
3. Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)
4. Proof of officially recognized advanced level English language exam (native speakers and those with a qualification from an English language institution/degree program are exempted)
5. Names of two referees with contact addresses. Letters of reference are not needed.

The Application letter, C.V., the Research description/plan, the copy of a language exam certification and the Referees’ contact information should be sent by email to Katalin Gadoros at [email protected].

Application Deadline: November 15, 2023

Scholarship Link