Concurrently, the disciplines of urban archaeology, urban geography and urban history were defined and developed, enabling an integrated study of historical sources, archaeological remains and the analysis of geographic, architectural and regional data.

However, the theoretical interpretation of ancient and historic cities is still conditioned by the chronological and sociological paradigms established as far back as the 19th and early 20th centuries. Thus, for instance, the classification of cities into Eastern, i.e. "Oriental/Muslim/Middle or Far-Eastern" cities as opposed to "Occidental", i.e. European and North American ones is based, to a large extent, on the 19th century's neo-classical interpretation of historical economy. The accepted periodization of urban history into "Biblical", "Greek", "Roman", "Medieval" or "Early Modern" periods also reflects the ideologies, theologies and identities that created them. In many cases they are culturally or ethnically conditioned and cannot be justified outside of the specific culture that created them. Urban history is sufficiently complex and continuous to sustain different cultural definitions and different types of biased periodizations. As a result, the characterization of specifically defined types of cities such as "Muslim", "Medieval" or "greek" cities became almost self-evident, and the terms themselves, let alone the periodization that created them, was rarely contested.

In light of these conceptual paradigms, our research group will examine the processes of cultural, political, social and religious changes in both past and contemporary urban contexts. Adopting a multidisciplinary apprach and a wide chronological range, the members of the group will address an array of changes in urban structures, such as the formation of new centers of political might, structural changes of the public spaces, the creation of architectural icons, and the expansion and collapse of urban tissues, all in relation to major political, cultural and religious changes.

Latin America has long been a laboratory for comparative research. With its 20 independent polities, it provides a shared ground for systematic analysis into the resilience or breakdown of formal democracy against the background of contesting models of citizenship.

While in the days of the Cold War these models were relatively clear-cut and impacted on the region, generating the contrasting projects of reform and revolution, in the last two decades Latin America has witnessed both a renewal of democracy and the diversification of democratic experiments. The international presence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the election of an indigenous president in Bolivia and female presidents in Chile and Argentina, and recent policy decisions in Cuba, reflect the profound changes these countries have undergone, raising questions that are of far more than just regional interest.

Our research group brings together experts on various dimensions of citizenship in Latin America with a record in comparative research to reflect on the challenges affeting liberal democracies, as derived from the shift from corporatist to neo-liberal citizenship regimes; the increasing recognition of group rights and multiculturalism, evident with the potent rise of new indigenous movements; the emergence of participatory forms of anti-politics in situations of policy ineffectiveness and institutional collapse; the increasing use of plebiscitary democracy as a means of attaining political legitimacy; and the persistent challenge of mass citizen mobilization to existing forms of limited democracy.

RG size is flexible, ranging from 5-8 core fellows, and each RG can include one postdoctoral fellow. Scholars spend their residency at the IIAS, located at the Edmond J. Safra Campus in Givat Ram, Jerusalem. The IIAS provides its fellows and visiting scholars with a nurturing and stimulating academic environment, as well as administrative support. Fellows from abroad receive a generous fellowship and family accommodation.

 What is a Research Group?

Each RG brings together a diverse group of scholars to engage in research questions of common interest. The group fellows benefit from integrative thinking and rich dialogue, while expanding individual fellows’ research. Our expectation is that the RG’s period of residence will result in creative and original research that will be shared with the international research community.

Former fellows may apply once 10 years have elapsed from the end of their previous term to the beginning of the academic year of their Fellowship.

Period of Residence

The IIAS academic year runs from September 1 to June 30. Proposals should include a request for a five- or ten-month residency period. Exceptions may be granted to Research Groups to be in residence for a three-month period (e.g. for experimental sciences). These are the possible options:

• The ten-month residencies begin September 1

• The five-month residencies begin September 1 or February 7

• The three-month residencies begin September 1, February 7, or May 1

Application Deadline and Notification

The online system will open for submission on September 1, 2022.
The deadline for application submission is December 1, 2022 (midnight).

Initiators are welcome to consult with the IIAS Director prior to submitting the proposal. To schedule a meeting please fill in the form HERE.

The IIAS Academic Committee announces its decisions regarding the selected proposals within seven months of the submission deadline. Rejected proposals may be resubmitted.

Application Information >

Back to Research Groups >

Fellows spend their residency at the IIAS, located at the Edmond J. Safra Givat Ram campus of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The IIAS provides fellows with a nurturing and stimulating academic environment, as well as administrative support. Fellows from abroad receive a generous fellowship and subsidized accommodation.

Our expectation is that the fellow’s residency will result in creative and original research that can be shared with the international research community.

Eligibility to Apply

Scholars may be from Israel or abroad and must have a tenured position with an academic research institution. 
Former fellows may apply for an individual fellowship once 10 years have elapsed from the end of their previous term by the beginning of the academic year of their fellowship. This fellowship is not open to postdoctoral researchers.

Period of Residence

The IIAS academic year runs from September 1 to June 30. Residencies are open for either 10 months or 5 months and the proposal should contain the requested period of residency according to the following options:

10-month residencies beginning September 1

5-month residencies beginning September 1 or February 7

Application and Notification Timeline

Applications are to be submitted online between September 1 - December 1 (midnight).

In the online form, the applicant is required to submit the following details:

1. Personal information
2. A list of 4 international experts in the candidate’s field and their contact information

In addition to the above, the applicant should provide the following documents:

1. Letter of Intent (up to 1000 words): description of the project and justification
2. Professional CV and a full list of publications

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The deadline to submit applications is December 1, 2022 (midnight).

The IIAS will notifiy applicants of the IIAS Academic Committee’s decisions regarding the selected fellows by June 30, 2023.

Application Information >

Arabia (the Arabian Peninsula) may no longer be terra incognita, but many aspects of its history remain unknown. The study of the history and culture of this territory is still in its infancy. One of the difficulties in properly evaluating the historical evidence about the ancient Near East is that modern Europeans or westerners approaching it inevitably do it with a host of confused and half-formed preconceptions about the "Orient", as Fergus Millar has noted in his book The Roman Near East 31 BC - AD 337.

In the last three decades an ever growing amount of new archaeological data, including a wealth of new inscriptions in many languages and scripts (Akkadian, Aramaic, Nabataean and South Arabian) has been gathered from sites in Saudi Arabia, the Yemen, the Persian Gulf, Sinai, the Negev, Jordan and Syria, as well as from sites of the cultures bordering with Arabia. Moreover, many texts in classical Arabic are now more accessible than ever before through various electronic media.

The group will evaluate the state of our knowledge about Arabia and the prospects for future research.