Contours of Future Democratic Society
Forecasted
Contours of Future Democratic Society supports humanities and social-science research groups studying political, technological and social transformations to understand the emerging shape of democratic society.
Funder: Gerda Henkel Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to three scholarships at €2,760 or €3,720 monthly, plus travel and equipment funds, for up to 36 months
Summary: Supports humanities and social-science research groups investigating transformations shaping future democratic society.
Key Information: Projects must include at least two scholars researching shared topics and receiving Foundation scholarships.
Description
Contours of Future Democratic Society is subsection 2 of the Gerda Henkel Foundation’s Special Programme Democracy. It supports innovative humanities and social-science research into present-day transformations and the emerging contours of future society. The Foundation seeks original questions and approaches offering descriptive, explanatory or prognostic insights, without assuming that change necessarily represents progress or regression.
Research focuses on three interconnected areas: political transformation, including populism, legitimacy, democratic resilience, emotions and manipulation of public opinion; technological transformation, including digitization, surveillance, information inequalities, digital power and artificial intelligence; and social transformation, including exclusion, identity attribution and unequal access to knowledge and education. Ecological questions cut across these areas through societies’ dependence on natural resources and responsibility for their use and destruction.
