Introduction
- The British Academy and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) are inviting applications from early career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to attend a research collaboration symposium on the broad theme of ‘Governance’.
- The symposium aims to incentivise and establish international engagement and collaboration between early career researchers based in France and the United Kingdom from a broad range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences, encouraging the exchange of ideas across both disciplinary and national boundaries.
Purpose and Focus
3. This symposium offers participants the opportunity to explore the multifaceted concept of governance in today's complex global landscape. In an era characterised by interconnectedness and rapid change, effective governance is crucial for addressing complex issues, including climate change, economic inequality, global pandemics, technological disruption, and the prevention and resolution of conflicts.
4. It will interrogate different forms of governance – past and present, across scales, geographical and cultural contexts. real and imagined – and using an interdisciplinary lens will seek to foster innovative approaches to the challenges of governance that are responsive to the needs of diverse communities and conducive to equitable and sustainable development.
5. It is expected that the theme will be explored through several avenues at the symposium, such as (but not limited to):
- How do previous forms of governance, as well as norms, beliefs, and values shape real or imagined forms of governance? What are the trade-offs associated with each form of governance? What should we understand by good governance?
- How have forms of governance as well as resistance to governance been represented and how has this affected people’s daily lives and the governance systems they have lived through and past on?
- What have been and are the roles of bottom-up and community processes and associations in shaping, leading and resisting forms of governance?
- What has been, and could be, the role of institutions in influencing governance?
- Are there ‘good’ forms of governance and can ‘ungoverned’ spaces be effective for people and communities?
- Who is being constructed as the object of governance (e.g. people, communities, businesses, civil society) and how does this construction vary among governance actors?
- How have the tensions between order and justice in governance models been tackled and how can they going forward? How can we ensure that systems of governance promote fairness and equality for all? How can we address historical injustices and power imbalances?
- What is the role of the judiciary in shaping and influencing forms of governance?
- What roles can culture and context play in shaping approaches and opposition to governance?
- How do different people and groups understand governance and how have they done so over time and space? What values and assumptions are involved in the development, maintenance and agitation against governance?
- How have and can governance models build in resilience and adaptation in the face of external and internal developments and changes? How is governance affected by everyday life and long-running processes of social, economic or technological change?
- How effective are international treaties, agreements and institutions in promoting cooperation and resolving conflicts between nations?
6. The symposium will emphasise the central role of the humanities and social sciences in understanding and navigating the complexities of governance. Participants will explore the unique contributions these disciplines offer to foster effective solutions to contemporary challenges.
7. The symposium format will allow for extensive discussion and debate, with considerable time set aside for this and wider networking opportunities.
The Symposium
8. The symposium will bring together around fifteen early career researchers from the UK and fifteen from France (understood as up to seven years after obtaining a PhD) from across the humanities and social sciences to discuss key questions around the theme of ‘Governance’. The symposium is designed specifically to encourage collaboration and networking. In advance of the symposium, participants will be able to discuss their research and exchange ideas among themselves; begin to discuss the session themes; and make connections for possible future activities.
9. In order to incentivise long-term collaboration and networking, seed funding will be made available for which participants can apply. These collaborations must be international in their makeup, and can be either partnerships or groups. Time will be set aside on the final day of the symposium for a ‘sandpit’ style session in which participants write up their proposed collaboration and submit applications by the end of the session. Over the course of the symposium there are further networking sessions set up to facilitate the development of collaborations and proposals. The application form for seed funding will be circulated in advance of the symposium to ensure participants are fully aware of the opportunity and requirements.
10. In addition to funding a number of collaborative proposals, the symposium will aim to provide opportunities for a range of other outputs. Participants, for example, could be invited to contribute to a publication focused on the symposium theme, either through individual papers or in partnership with other symposium participants, record audio outputs or write blog posts that will be compiled into a series dedicated to the symposium. Further information about such opportunities will be provided at the symposium.
Eligibility
11. For the purpose of this symposium, early career is defined as being within a seven-year period from the award of a doctorate. Participants must be based at research institutions in the UK or France.
12. Participants must be able to travel on dates and times, and on trains chosen by the British Academy. All travel to the symposium will take place on Wednesday 13 November. Participants may depart after the end of the symposium on Friday evening if this is feasible, or can return on Saturday 16 November.
13. Attendance is mandatory for the entire symposium. If this is not met it will result in a participant not being eligible for the seed funding available.
14. UK-based attendees may only participate in two British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposia in any 24-month period.
Selection Criteria
15. Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
a) Proven research interest and/or experience in the symposium's theme;
b) Commitment to interdisciplinary engagement and research;
c) Value of symposium to applicant's career development.
Application Process
16. Applicants should provide:
- A completed application form
17. Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy's Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.
18. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 11 September at 17:00 GMT.
19. We will seek to notify successful applicants by mid October.
Logistics
20. The symposium will take place in Paris, France, from the 14-15 November 2024. The costs of travel, visas and accommodation for participants will be covered. Participants should attend the entire symposium programme, and be available to travel on transport options chosen by the British Academy. Participants based in France will be informed by the CNRS of the administrative procedures for covering their travel costs.
21. All travel to and from the symposium will take place by train. Departure from Paris will take place on Saturday 16 November (or Friday 15 November after the end of the symposium, if preferred). Where necessary, the British Academy will cover the cost of a hotel en route to enable participants to travel by train.
Further Information
22. Further information is available from Barbora Krasova ([email protected]).
About The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is the largest governmental research organization in France. It employs more than 11,000 tenured research scientists across all disciplines, who work in research units mostly in France, with close ties to local universities. CNRS also maintains research centres on the five continents.
Founded in 1939, CNRS has become the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. The CNRS is dedicated to a singular purpose: the pursuit of knowledge through exceptional research endeavours.
About The British Academy
The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences – the study of peoples, cultures and societies, past, present, and future. The British Academy’s purpose is to inspire and support high achievement in the humanities and social sciences throughout the UK and internationally, and to promote their public value. We have three principal roles:
- A Fellowship of distinguished scholars from all areas of the humanities and social sciences, elected by their peers, that facilitates the exchange of knowledge and ideas and promotes the work of our subjects.
- A Funding Body that supports the best ideas, individuals and intellectual resources in the humanities and social sciences, nationally and internationally.
- A Forum for debate and engagement that stimulates public interest and deepens understandings, that enhances global leadership and policy making, and that acts as a voice for the humanities and social sciences.