The grant includes taking part in an innovative online core seminar throughout both the 2021−2022 and 2022−2023 academic years. In the second year, awardees will work together with fellow students from the cooperating universities on a particular aspect of the theme ‘Europe in a Changing World’. In parallel, they will be supported in travelling to a series of conferences taking place physically at the participating institutions.

About the project ‘Europe in a Changing World’

The research project on ‘Europe in a Changing World’ is a joint project with universities worldwide led by the Dahrendorf Programme at the European Studies Centre at St Antony’s College at the University of Oxford.

This ambitious project seeks to explore the mutual perceptions and relations of Europe with China, India, Russia, Turkey and the United States. How do these countries view and understand Europe and the EU, and why? What are their current relations with Europe, including points of convergence and divergence, and how might future relations develop? In what way can mutual understanding be enhanced?

For this project, the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) and WZB Berlin Social Science Center cooperate with the Dahrendorf Programme at the European Studies Centre at St Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, Ashoka University in Delhi, Sabancı University in Istanbul, Peking University in Beijing, the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Stanford University in the US, the EUI in Florence, and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna.

Selection process of Oxford Grants awardees

Graduate students affiliated with SCRIPTS and/or WZB throughout both the 2021−2022 and 2022−2023 academic years from Social Sciences and the Humanities were encouraged to apply. A committee selected the graduate students from the applications, considering all aspects of diversity in their selection.  Part of the committee were Prof. Tanja A. Börzel, Prof. Thomas Risse, Prof. Gwendolyn Sasse and Prof. Michael Zürn.

Structure of the Oxford Grants

In the first year, awardees will participate in an innovative online core seminar involving faculty and fellow graduate students from all partnering institutions. These online seminars will happen roughly once a month during the two academic years, starting only in December 2021.

Key issues will be
• Ways of thinking about Europe in its relations with China, India, Turkey, Russia and United States (CIT-RUS)
• Post-colonial – global history turn/decentering Europe – including Orientalism/Occidentalism?
• Anthropology of Encounter
• Regional and Civilisational Identities – Clash of civilisations, Dialogue among civilisations, Alliance of civilisations
• IR Perspectives
• Liberal universalism– EU as a model of liberal international order?
• Contestations of the liberal Script
• And more substantial country-specific sessions (CITRUS) beginning with presentations by country specialists

In the second year, it is expected that small groups of students, drawn from all or most of these universities, will work together on a particular aspect of the theme. Graduate students will be asked to complete a final report, probably in the form of an essay on a subject to be agreed with us, closely related to the theme of ‘Europe in a Changing World’. These will be published on the website of the University of Oxford’s Dahrendorf Programme along with earlier Dahrendorf essays.
In parallel, there will be a series of conferences taking place physically at the participating institutions. SCRIPTS and/or WZB will cover the travel and accommodation costs to participate in one conference physically.