The Berlin Fellowship: Applications are open!

Deadline: 14-Feb-23

Applications are now open for the Berlin Fellowship.

The Humanity in Action journey begins with a rich summer experience of inquiry, debate, and community building rooted in trust and empathy.

The colonial injustice and violence that the German Reich enforced on regions in Africa and Asia had a lasting impact for both the colonized and the colonizer. Yet the German colonial project has traditionally received little attention in the shadow of another dark chapter of the country’s history – the National Socialist regime, the Shoah, and the systemic terror that the Nazis inflicted on all those who did not fit into their ideology.

Over the past decade, Germany’s role and involvement in European colonialism has received increasing attention. Widespread public knowledge however – especially about the historical connections between colonialism and the NS-Regime – is still lacking. Yet, colonial and imperial ideologies were not only crucial to the emergence of the modern German nation state, they also heavily influenced and conditioned the race theories promoted by the Nazis and their atrocious methods.

What to Expect?

In the Fellowship, they will explore the ways in which colonial legacies play a central role for Germany’s national identity, social structure, and human rights realities. Why and how has this chapter of European and German history been silenced in the dominant discourses of remembrance? What does it mean to confront the past and present entanglements with colonial injustice? How is the way they remember the past connected with the many challenges the increasingly diverse democratic societies are facing, like Antisemitism, racism, hostility towards Muslims, trans- and homophobia, misogyny and other forms of discrimination? And how can they learn to counter group-focused hostility and protect democratic values?
Fellows from Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and the US will gather in Berlin to explore these questions. The daily program holds space for guest lectures and workshops, site visits, group discussions, reflections, and community building – as well as what each individual Fellow brings. Past Fellows have described it as an intense, challenging, and rewarding journey of personal and collective growth, meaningful connections, and collaboration across difference.

The Structure

The International Program | June 5 and 6, 2023 (virtual)
They will virtually join the entire international 2023 Human in Action cohort of about 100 Fellows to discuss community building, relevant human rights issues and courses for civil engagement.
The Berlin Fellowship | June 8 – 23, 2023 (in-person in Berlin, Germany)
About 20 Fellows from Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and the US will gather in Berlin to learn from local experts, community members, and each other.
Action Projects and Action Project Lab Series | August 2023 – May 2024 (virtual)
From September 2023 to May 2024, Fellows work on their independent Action Project. They meet virtually for the Action Project Lab Series, an online training program designed to assist Fellows implement their projects and to keep in touch with the community.

Eligibility Criteria