Call for Applications: Memory Activism Fellowship

The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) has announced a new call for a fellowship within the “Memory Activism” program. The objective of the program is to facilitate a critical, facts-based, and victim-centered memory culture related to the wars in the former Yugoslavia. 

We offer fellowships for a duration of 3 to 6 months, commencing from February until the end of September 2024. We invite fellowship applications from researchers, journalists, practitioners, and artists who focus on the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia from various perspectives. The fellowship is non-residential and does not require physical presence in Belgrade. Fellows are expected to produce outputs during the fellowship, which will be published and promoted by the HLC. Outputs can take the form of analyses, policy papers, reports, a series of blogs, or the organization of events and can be in electronic/digital and physical forms. Fellowships can start from February 1, 2024, and must conclude no later than September 30, 2024. 

Candidates over 18 years of age, regardless of nationality and residence, are eligible to apply. Applications can be individual or group-based, with a maximum of three members per group. In the case of a group application, the scholarship amount will be divided among the number of group members. The scholarship includes a monthly gross honorarium of USD 1,563, aimed at supporting fellows during the research period and the implementation of planned activities.  

Applications for the scholarship should include: 

• Short biography (for group applications, provide biographies of all group members).
  
• Motivational letter with information on the reasons for applying and the candidate’s areas of interest or expertise (not exceeding one page).
• A concept for the research project, including information on the research goal, planned activities, expected results, specific research products, and the timeframe for the start and completion of the work (not exceeding two pages). 

Applications should be sent to the email address memoryprogram@hlc-rdc.org with the subject “Application for Fellowship 2023,” no later than December 31, 2023. Applications can be in English or BCMS language. Applicants will be notified of the success of their application during the last week of January. 

Selection criteria include: 

• Fulfillment of administrative conditions – a complete application contains all the documents specified in the competition. 
• Alignment of the research/practical project with the goals of the “Memory Activism” program. 
• Applicability of the project – solutions proposed by the research project in the field of memory culture should be tailored to the communication channels available to the HLC, including websites, social networks, and public events. 
• Format of the planned activities – the content proposed by the research project can be fully digital or in mixed digital/physical format, with a mandatory ratio of 50:50, where at least half of the content is in digital format. 
• Quality of the research proposal/practical work and its potential contribution to improving the culture of memory in the former Yugoslavia. 
• Quality and potential broader impact of the proposed activities to be created/implemented through the scholarship. 
• Possession of relevant experience in the field of memory culture – applications that successfully demonstrate previous experience in working on similar projects within the field of memory culture, dealing with the past, peacebuilding, and other related areas will be considered. 

Since 1992, the Humanitarian Law Center has been documenting war crimes and human rights violations in the former Yugoslavia, focusing on victims and their testimonies. Advocating for comprehensive work in the transitional justice process has been central to the organization’s mission. The work of the organization is based on three pillars: documentation, justice, and memory, with the “Memory Activism” program being crucial for the organization’s future. Within this program, the HLC commemorates and remembers the victims of conflicts through various initiatives, including public debates, documentaries, digital activism on social media, and other digital memory practices. In addition to paying tribute to the victims of war crimes and mass human rights violations during the 1990s wars, the “Memory Activism” program examines and criticizes dominant revisionist narratives about the wars, provides informal education, promotes legally established facts about the wars in an engaging manner, using various media formats. The program also conducts research, analysis, and policy proposals focused on memory policies in the region. 

Any questions about the fellowship and its conditions can be sent to memoryprogram@hlc-rdc.org or nikola.gajic@hlc-rdc.org.