Universitas Indonesia Decolonizing Humanities Fellowship 2026 — Funded Research Residency for Scholars from Africa & Southeast Asia
- Omran Aburayya
- Apr 25
- 5 min read
If you are a mid-career scholar from Southeast Asia or Africa committed to challenging colonial legacies and reimagining the foundational concepts of humanities through a Global South lens, the Decolonizing Humanities Fellowship at Universitas Indonesia is now open — and applications close on 30 April 2026. Hosted by the Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP UI) and supported by the prestigious Gerda Henkel Stiftung, this highly selective, funded fellowship invites up to two scholars per year to spend 6 to 12 months in residence at one of Southeast Asia's leading universities, conducting research, building South-to-South academic partnerships, and reshaping the global humanities discourse from the inside out.
🎓 Fellowship Summary
Location: Depok, Indonesia (Universitas Indonesia campus — Faculty of Social and Political Sciences)
Host Institution: Department of Anthropology, FISIP, Universitas Indonesia (UI), supported by Gerda Henkel Stiftung
Programme Level: Mid-career research fellowship (postdoctoral / academic faculty level)
Target Group: Mid-career scholars currently affiliated with academic institutions in Southeast Asia (excluding Indonesia) or African countries with connections to the Gerda Henkel Foundation network
Fields of Focus: Humanities and social sciences with a focus on decolonial methodologies, epistemological innovation, and South-to-South academic exchange — including anthropology, history, cultural studies, political science, and related disciplines
Value & Coverage: Monthly stipend + visa and research permit fees + international travel reimbursement + research materials grant + family/child support grants
Duration: 6 to 12 months (in-residence at Universitas Indonesia)
Application Deadline: 30 April 2026, 23:59 (GMT+7)
Start Date: To be confirmed upon selection and institutional arrangement
Eligible To: Mid-career scholars from Southeast Asian countries (excluding Indonesia) and African countries with established ties to the Gerda Henkel Foundation network
📚 Fellowship Overview
At a time when global academia is increasingly scrutinising Eurocentric dominance in research frameworks, the Decolonizing Humanities Fellowship arrives as a targeted response. The fellowship is rooted in a powerful and timely conviction: that the structural inequities of global academia — which have long centred knowledge production in the Global North — must be actively dismantled, not merely critiqued.
The fellowship is explicitly designed to counter these structural limitations by championing South-to-South epistemological experimentation and mainstreaming. Universitas Indonesia, as a flagship institution in Southeast Asia, offers a strategically significant location at the crossroads of Asia and the Pacific — one that makes it an ideal anchor for this kind of transformative scholarly exchange.
This initiative is directly aligned with and extends the longstanding commitments of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, a German philanthropic organisation with a deep track record of supporting humanities research across the Global South. The Foundation has previously launched the Lisa Maskell Fellowships to support young humanities researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia — representing the single largest international funding initiative for PhD students in the Foundation's history.
🧩 Structure, Curriculum & Activities
The fellowship spans 6 to 12 months of full in-residence engagement at Universitas Indonesia. This is not a passive or ceremonial residency — fellows are active, integrated members of the academic community at FISIP UI. The programme is structured around five interconnected components:
1. Colloquiums (×2)
Fellows deliver two formal colloquiums during their residency:
First Colloquium (held in Month 1): A closed session with faculty and peers, focused on the fellow's research theme — serving as both an introduction and an early intellectual checkpoint
Second Colloquium (held near the end of the fellowship): A public-facing session showcasing the fellow's findings, designed to provoke broader discussions and featuring expert panelists on the subject
2. Working Paper Draft
Fellows are expected to produce at least one working paper draft related to their fellowship project by the end of the programme — a tangible, publishable scholarly output that feeds into global decolonial humanities literature.
3. Course Seminars & Workshops
Fellows are integrated into one of the host department's existing courses, contributing through guest lectures, seminars, or workshops. They collaborate with UI faculty to stimulate academic debate and engage directly with students — enriching both the fellow's experience and the department's intellectual environment.
4. Collaborative Research Projects
Fellows work in interdisciplinary teams to design research projects that challenge colonial frameworks and advance decolonial scholarship — building the kind of durable, cross-institutional academic partnerships that outlast the fellowship itself.
5. Dissemination of Knowledge
Fellows share their insights through multiple platforms — academic journals, digital media, and public events — ensuring that research outputs are accessible not only to specialists but to broader audiences across the Global South.
🎁Fellowship Benefits
The Decolonizing Humanities Fellowship offers a meaningful financial package designed to make the residency accessible to scholars from diverse economic contexts:
Monthly Stipend — To cover living costs in Indonesia for the full fellowship duration
Visa Fees & Research Stay Permit — All visa and research permit processing costs are covered
International Travel — Return flights reimbursed up to a set limit
Family Travel Support — Fellows are eligible for two return trips under a family allowance, making participation more accessible for scholars with families
Research Materials & Supplies — Reimbursement for research-related costs incurred during the fellowship
Child Support Grants — Grant support for the fellow's first child under age 18, and for each additional child under age 18
Full Institutional Integration — Access to UI's academic infrastructure, library resources, and faculty networks
💡 Worth noting: The family allowance and child support grants are a rare and thoughtful inclusion in a research fellowship — a clear signal that this programme is designed with equity and accessibility in mind, not just academic prestige.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for the Decolonizing Humanities Fellowship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
Be a mid-career scholar currently holding an active position at an academic institution
Be based in Southeast Asia (excluding Indonesia) or an African country with established connections to the Gerda Henkel Foundation network
Demonstrate a clear and developed research focus aligned with decolonial methodologies and critical humanities
Show a strong track record of academic output — publications, conference participation, teaching, or equivalent scholarly contributions
Be committed to South-to-South scholarly collaboration and to advancing decolonial approaches in the humanities
Demonstrate willingness and ability to actively contribute to the host department's academic programme during the residency
ℹ️ Note: This fellowship is not open to Indonesian scholars or early-career researchers without a current institutional affiliation. The programme explicitly targets scholars who are embedded in their academic communities and ready to lead, not just participate.
📝 Application Procedure
Applications must be submitted entirely by email to:
Subject line format: Application – Decolonizing Humanities Fellowship – [Your Full Name]
All required documents must be compiled into a single email submission.
📁 Required Documents
1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A current academic CV detailing institutional affiliation, research experience, publications, and relevant academic activities.
2. Research Proposal (maximum 5 pages)
A concise proposal describing the research project the applicant intends to pursue during the fellowship, including:
Research objectives and key questions
Conceptual or methodological approach (must be grounded in decolonial frameworks)
Expected scholarly outputs (working papers, publications, teaching modules)
3. Writing Sample (optional but strongly encouraged)
One recent publication or manuscript related to the applicant's research area — this significantly strengthens the application by demonstrating scholarly output quality.
✍🏻 Selection Process
Applications are reviewed by the fellowship selection committee based on academic merit, relevance to the programme's agenda, and potential for meaningful collaboration with UI scholars and partner institutions across Southeast Asia and Africa
Shortlisted candidates may be invited for further discussion or clarification
Successful applicants are notified directly via email
✍🏻 Apply Now
Submit your application to: maria.rosari11@ui.ac.id
⏰ Deadline: 30 April 2026 at 23:59 (GMT+7) — applications close very soon.
