The Frankel Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies invites applications from scholars, artists, and other professionals investigating historical and contemporary antisemitism around the globe to participate in an academic-year residential fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. We welcome those exploring how anti-Jewish policies and attitudes manifest themselves in varied regions and eras; how they shape the realities and social position of Jews and Jewish communities; and how Jewish communities are responding today and have responded historically.
The urgency of convening scholars to consider these issues and questions emerges from the heightened political and social stakes of current global affairs. Many Jews around the world are considering whether the social contracts that seemed to secure their safety and place in civic, campus, and general societal spaces are illusory. In the face of these changing public realities and shifting discourses, scholars have also been reexamining prevailing views on antisemitism; testing methods to better measure its impact and prevalence; and searching for effective means to identify, combat, and limit its influence.
Approaches might include scholarship that deepens historical, cultural, and/or literary understandings of antisemitism; investigates how classic antisemitic tropes emerge in contemporary discourses; examines the effectiveness of anti-bias trainings and DEI efforts in relationship to antisemitism; collects and analyzes data on antisemitic incidents and sentiments around the globe; or places antisemitism within the context of other forms of bigotry, bias, and hatred.
We invite scholars, experts, and practitioners from an array of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences to join us in this multidisciplinary exploration. We encourage applicants to consider questions of diversity, inclusion, and the voices that are amplified or marginalized in different media contexts.
Fellowship applications are accepted from both tenured and untenured faculty as well as from recent Ph.D.’s without a tenure-track position and professors emeriti. Where appropriate, applications are accepted from independent artists, documentary filmmakers, and writers. For these non-academic applicants, a B.A. degree is required and a graduate degree is encouraged.
We encourage all applicants to apply for a full academic year, September - April. We also offer a limited number of single-term fellowships under special circumstances (please explain). Fall term runs September-December and Winter Term runs January-April. Fellows can serve no more than two terms within a period of four years.
The Frankel Institute is structured as a full-year residential fellowship; however, alternative arrangements may be available. If you are unable to reside in Ann Arbor and would like to request alternative arrangements, please explain.
Application Review Process
The selection committee reads all applications. Once an applicant is selected for the long list, they will be contacted to schedule a short interview (via Zoom). Final announcements regarding selected fellows and waitlisted fellows will be made in late February.
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.
