Application deadline: 31 January 2026 (PST)
Role: Post-doctoral Fellow (24 months)
Program: Connected Teams – Practicing Transcultural Art Histories
Locations:
- Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (India) – 2 fellowships
- Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá (Colombia) – 1 fellowship
Regions of focus: South Asia, Latin America, Europe (Italy, Germany)
Start date: 1 July 2026
Duration: 24 months
Funding: - Bogotá: approx. COP 9 million/month
- Kolkata: approx. INR 90,000/month
Working language: English (Spanish desirable for Bogotá)
Eligibility: PhD awarded on or after 1 January 2020 (or by June 2026)
Program Overview
Connected Teams. Practicing Transcultural Art Histories Under the Conditions of Ecological Crises and Digital Transformations: India, Latin America, and Europe is a transregional research program inviting applications from post-doctoral researchers whose projects address the intersections of art, heritage, and environments in South Asia and/or Latin America.
Two fellowships are affiliated with the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC), and one fellowship with the Department of Art History at the Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá (Uniandes). A second call for three additional post-doctoral fellows at the same institutions will be published in December 2026.
The program examines and practices art histories through transcultural and eco-critical approaches, rethinking both art history and ecology in terms of their interrelations, including the ecologies of the research process itself. Operating on the premise that objects are neither stable nor exclusively human-made, the program approaches art historical research as concerned with porous, entangled, and dynamic relations among environments, objects, monuments, heritage, and landscapes across multiple temporalities.
Structure and Collaboration
Connected Teams consists of three teams located in South Asia (India), South America (Colombia), and Europe (Italy, Germany). Teams convene annually for a Seasonal School and connect through virtual formats throughout the year.
The program encourages experimental modes of fieldwork, innovative approaches to archives, digital tools for collaboration and communication, and visual and auditory forms of documentation. Its structure poses methodological challenges for researching historical and contemporary visual and material cultures through interdisciplinary dialogue and sustained engagement with multiple scholarly and public communities. Collaborations may involve filmmakers, artists, engineers, heritage professionals, biologists, and other practitioners.
Research Themes and Guiding Questions
Proposed projects should address globally shared yet locally differentiated concerns at the intersections of transregional art histories and ecologies. Relevant topics include:
- Unsettling nature/culture divides in and of the Anthropocene
- Ecological crisis and threats to the future of life on Earth, and the relevance of art history under such conditions
- Climate change and its impact on the practices and imaginaries of artists, heritage professionals, and humanities scholars
- Relationships between the care of plant or animal species and the preservation of human-made monuments or sites
- Interactions between monuments, landscapes, materials, and climate conditions, including historical techniques and building practices
- Art histories in relation to ecologies, anthropologies, social dynamics, and tourism
- Decolonial, nationalist, and indigenous narratives, language cultures, and questions of translatability
- Museums and heritage sites as ecosystems, including disciplinary perspectives on institutional and site management
Eligibility and Candidates
Applications are open to emerging scholars who received their PhD on 1 January 2020 or later. In cases of parental leave, eligibility may be extended by one year per child. PhD candidates who will have defended their dissertation by June 2026 are also eligible.
Applicants are welcome from all nationalities and regions, and from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, including Art History, Aesthetics, Archaeology, Anthropology, History, Architecture, Heritage Studies, Sound Studies, Sociology, Digital Humanities, Performance Studies, and related fields. Proposed research must demonstrate a strong affinity with art history.
Applicants should show interest in digital, reflexive, and transdisciplinary research and openness to collaborative exchange. Research should be centered on South Asia and/or Latin America. Applicants must indicate a preferred host institution (Bogotá or Kolkata) in the application portal.
Fellowship Conditions
Each fellowship includes a locally determined stipend and travel support, following host institution regulations. Organizational assistance with visas, insurance, and housing is provided.
Fellows are expected to reside at their host institution and actively participate in its intellectual life and program activities. Up to six months may be spent at another partner institution with additional funding. Fellows will take part in regular digital workshops and annual Seasonal Schools, with the first held in Colombia in July 2026.
In Bogotá, Spanish language skills are desirable, as the fellow at Uniandes will be expected to co-teach courses. All partner institutions are equal opportunity employers.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted as PDF files via the KHI application portal and include:
- Curriculum vitae (English)
- Project title and description (max. 1,500 words, English)
- Motivation letter / personal statement (max. 1,000 words, English)
- Sample of scholarly work (approx. 20 pages)
- Two letters of recommendation (uploaded by the applicant or sent directly by referees)
- Name and email address of a third referee
Letters of recommendation must be received by 31 January 2026 (PST).
Application portal: https://apply.khi.fi.it/
Portal opens: 23 December 2025
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to virtual interviews in late February and early March 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 March 2026.
