                                                                                                                                    DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS 
                                                                                                                                                          in 
                                                                                                                           TURKISH CULTURE AND LITERATURE

The Humanities Institute is a non-profit organization established in the United States in 2005 to support free online postgraduate education and research in the humanities. The Institute maintains an open-access database containing more than 10,000 scholarly articles contributed by researchers from around the world. These resources are freely available through the Humanities Library (humanitiesinstitute.org/library/) and Encyclopaedia Turkica (encyclopaediaturkica.org/library/).

About the Fellowship

The Humanities Institute invites applications for its Doctoral Fellowships in Turkish Studies. The fellowship programme supports original doctoral research in Turkish Studies, Turkology, and related fields, with particular emphasis on the cultures, cultural traditions, literary production, intellectual heritage, and cultural interactions of Turkic peoples.
Research projects may address, among other subjects:

•	cultural and intellectual history;
•	literary cultures and textual traditions;
•	folklore and oral traditions;
•	manuscript cultures and critical editions;
•	material culture and cultural heritage;
•	cultural memory and identity;
•	translation, reception, and cultural transmission;
•	diaspora and migration cultures;
•	comparative cultural relations;
•	biographies and works of the authors, thinkers, artists, and other cultural figures who have enriched the Turkish Culture and Literature with their creative thoughts; and 
•	understudied cultural communities, texts, and traditions.

Linguistic projects may also be considered where they make a clear and substantial contribution to the study of cultural history, literary culture, oral traditions, identity, or cultural transmission.

Each successful applicant will receive a fellowship of USD 10,000 for one academic year. The fellowship period generally runs from September to June. The fellowship will be disbursed in two installments at the beginning of each semester of the fellowship period, and detailed payment arrangements will be communicated directly to successful applicants by email. 

Applications are accepted throughout the year. Successful applicants will normally begin their fellowship in the next available academic-year cycle. The number of fellowships awarded each year will depend on the availability of funds and the quality of eligible applications.

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to applicants of all nationalities and countries of residence.

Applicants must:

•	be currently enrolled in a recognized doctoral programme;
•	be actively conducting doctoral research in Turkish Studies, Turkology, or a closely related field; and
•	propose a research project that makes the study of Turkish cultures, cultural traditions, literary production, intellectual heritage, or cultural interaction its primary focus.

Application Requirements

A complete application must include:

1.	A current curriculum vitae, including the applicant’s full name, email address, country of residence, institutional affiliation, native language, and other relevant languages.
2.	An official document confirming the applicant’s current doctoral status.
3.	The applicant’s most recent academic transcript.
4.	A research proposal of approximately 1,500 words, including: 
        o	the project title;
        o	the subject and scope of the research;
        o	the principal research question or questions;
        o	the project’s relationship to Turkish cultural studies;
        o	the proposed methodology;
        o	the primary and secondary sources to be used;
        o	the academic significance and originality of the project;
        o	its expected contribution to the field;
        o	a proposed work plan for the September–June academic year; and
        o	anticipated scholarly outcomes.
5.	A complete list of academic publications, where applicable.
6.	One academic letter of recommendation from the applicant’s doctoral supervisor, department chair, a faculty member, or another scholar familiar with the applicant’s research. The recommendation letter must be sent directly by the referee to the Institute.

Applications may be submitted in English or Turkish. The research proposal and all other materials prepared by the applicant should be presented consistently in one of these languages. Official documents issued in another language must be accompanied by an English or Turkish translation.

All application materials, except the letter of recommendation, must be combined into a single PDF file. The file should be named as follows: Surname_GivenName_FellowshipApplication.pdf

Evaluation and Notification

Applications will be evaluated by the Fellowship Evaluation Committee on the basis of:

•	the applicant’s academic qualifications;
•	the project’s relevance to Turkish cultural studies;
•	its originality and scholarly significance;
•	the clarity of the research questions;
•	the appropriateness of the methodology and sources;
•	its feasibility within the fellowship period; and
•	its potential contribution to the understanding of Turkish cultures.

Applicants will normally be informed of the Committee’s decision approximately two to four weeks after a complete application has been received. All applicants will be notified of the outcome by email.

Responsibilities of Fellows

At the end of the fellowship period, fellows must submit a confidential report of approximately 1,500–2,000 words describing the research conducted; the progress achieved; the primary and secondary sources consulted; scholarly activities undertaken during the fellowship period; and plans for completing or continuing the project.

The report must be submitted in English or Turkish within thirty days of the end of the fellowship period. It will be retained by the Humanities Institute and will not be made publicly available.

Depending on the subject and quality of the project, a fellow may also be invited to prepare a scholarly entry for Encyclopaedia Turkica.

Applications containing false or misleading information, fabricated documents, plagiarism, or other forms of academic misconduct may be rejected or, where the fellowship has already begun, terminated.

Personal information and application materials will be used by the Humanities Institute solely for the evaluation and administration of the fellowship programme.

Applications and recommendation letters should be sent to:      director@encyclopaediaturkica.org
The email subject line should read: Doctoral Fellowship Application – [Applicant’s Full Name]

Applications are accepted throughout the year. Successful applicants will normally begin their fellowship in the next available academic-year cycle. The number of fellowships awarded each year will depend on the availability of funds and the quality of eligible applications.