Special Programme Democracy
The Gerda Henkel Foundation funds interdisciplinary research groups studying the historical roots and future challenges of democracy, focusing on its evolution, conflicts, and societal transformations.
Funder: Gerda Henkel Foundation
Due Dates: June 3, 2026
Funding Amounts: Up to three scholarships per group; monthly rates: €2,760 (postdoc), €3,720 (post-habilitation), plus family, travel, and material support; up to 36 months.
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary research groups investigating the historical and future-oriented dimensions of democracy, including its conflicts, evolution, and societal transformations.
Key Information: Applications only accepted from research groups (min. two postdoctoral scholars); individual applications are not eligible.
Description
The Special Programme Democracy by the Gerda Henkel Foundation funds innovative, interdisciplinary research into both the historical roots and future prospects of democracy. The programme is divided into two main subsections:
- Democracy as Utopia, Experience, and Threat: Focuses on historically oriented research examining conflicts over social order, participation, and justice from ancient times to the present, exploring diverse value systems and the dynamics of societal confrontation.
- Contours of Future Democratic Society: Investigates political, technological, and social transformations affecting democracy, such as the crisis of liberal democracy, technological change, and new forms of inequality, aiming to provide descriptive, explanatory, or prognostic insights into emerging societal structures.
Projects must be collaborative, involving at least two postdoctoral researchers, and should address key themes related to the evolution, challenges, and future of democracy.
