FELLOWSHIPS AT THE KÄTE HAMBURGER CENTRE FOR APOCALYPTIC AND POST-APOCALYPTIC STUDIES (CAPAS) 2026-27

CAPAS is a centre for advanced studies at Heidelberg University dedicated to innovative and socially relevant research on the end(s) of world(s). Going beyond traditional disciplinary and institutional boundaries, we bring together outstanding international scholars and scientists to contribute to the centre’s collaborative research while working on their individual projects. It is our mission to make space for a diverse knowledge collective, enriching exchanges in the humanities with insights from relevant perspectives from the social, life, and natural sciences and integrating non-academic forms of knowledge production in the arts and beyond.

Subjectivities

In the 2026–2027 academic year, we focus on the role of subjectivities in relation to end-times and radical change, considering them as constitutive elements of apocalyptic experience. We propose to understand subjectivities as historically variable, mental yet embodied structures formed through processes of assuming preordained subject positions in relation to other subjects and to “the world.” Subjectivity thus implies both a mode of subjugation and a potential for action—hence, a capacity for resistance to power.

Key aspects of subjectivity include agency and sovereignty, as well as the institutions, apparatuses, fantasies, narratives, imaginaries, and emotions that produce, sustain, or transform it. As a mode of being in the world, subjectivity is central to thinking about the end of worlds: on the one hand, it serves as a crucial element in preserving existing worlds; on the other, subjectivity is that which becomes unsettled, reconfigured, or radically altered by processes of collapse or transformation—and, conversely, it is also what makes transformation possible.

The concept of subjectivity offers a particularly fruitful field for interdisciplinary collaboration—between the humanities and social sciences, neuroscience and psychology, and even computer science, especially in relation to posthumanist projects that explore the convergence of AI and immortality (e.g., the preservation of human consciousness in machines). Furthermore, subjectivity as the relation of an “I” to a lifeworld that interacts with and transforms “nature” is highly relevant for the environmental sciences, particularly regarding the practical implementation of transformative measures.

Finally, as a site of agency and expression, the subjective experience of apocalypse and post-apocalypse invites contributions from activists, artists, writers, filmmakers, and other cultural practitioners.

Potential projects may address:

• Subjectivity in relation to end-time epistemologies and ontologies
• Subjectivities at and after the end of the world, in past, present and future
• Subjectivity and positionality (class, culture, ability, gender, race, etc.)
• Decentering of the subject
• Embodied and disembodied subjects
• Subjectivity, resilience, resistance and transformation
• Theoretical or methodological reflections on the overall conceptual frame of CAPAS, in particular on apocalyptic experience

The Fellowships

We invite applications for 10 Fellowships for the 2026-2027 academic year. Fellowships are available for up to 12 months, including at least one academic term (April to July or October to February). During their fellowship, fellows must reside in Heidelberg and are expected to participate in the centre’s weekly activities. English is the working language at CAPAS.

Fellows who take unpaid leave from their home institution during the fellowship will receive financial compensation in the form of a stipend (calculated individually according to the university’s criteria for fellowship compensation). Alternatively, if a fellow decides to keep their current salary and contract benefits, CAPAS compensates the fellow's home institution with the corresponding salary for a teaching replacement. Both options are capped by the regulations of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and subject to availability of funds. At CAPAS, fellows have access to office spaces and university resources (guesthouse, library, canteen, daycare). CAPAS also provides support with administrative formalities (visa application, registration).

Eligibility

The minimum requirement for eligibility is the rank of assistant professor (or equivalent), or have a minimum of five years of post-doctoral research experience. Activists and artists with substantial experience collaborating with academia are also welcome to submit proposals. CAPAS is strongly committed to diversity and explicitly encourages women* and BIPOC to apply.       

Application

Applications should include the following materials:

• Completed application form (available below; please use Adobe Acrobat to fill in the form),
• CV (maximum four pages, including a list of relevant publications)
• Two publications that are representative of your work and relevant to CAPAS’ research (languages accepted: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or German)

All documents must be submitted in English and as four individual PDF files (application form, CV,  publication 1, publication 2) to Fellowship Manager Laura Mendoza. Laura.Mendoza@capas.uni-heidelberg.de

The deadline for applications is 31 August 2025. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered

Selection Process

Criteria for the selection are the originality and relevance of the project proposal, as well as the applicant’s academic merits and other achievements. The selection is made by the Board of Directors and the centre’s Academic Advisory Board. Successful applicants will be notified by December 2025.