Call for Applications: Fortunoff/VWI Fellowship for the Study of Roma and Sinti Persecution

By Christy Bailey-Tomecek - November 23, 2022

The Fortunoff Archive and the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (VWI) seeks applicants for a joint postdoctoral fellow. Using testimonies from the Fortunoff Archive and materials from the archive at the VWI, the fellow will conduct research related to the persecution of Romani and Sinti people during the Porrajmos/Samudaripen (Holocaust). The fellow will also participate in projects related to the Sinti and Roma materials in the Fortunoff Archive, including organizing events related to the collection, cooperating with the archive’s affiliate projects who recorded the original materials, improvement of collection metadata, and other activities as assigned. The research results will be the subject of the formal fellow’s discussion and will be presented to the wider public at regular intervals. At the end of their stay, the fellow is required to submit a research paper which will be peer-reviewed and published in the institute’s e-journal S:I.M.O.N. – Shoah: Intervention. Methods. Documentation. They will also develop a deep overview and analysis of the subcollection of Roma testimonies in the Fortunoff Archive.

The fellow will be hosted for 24 months in Vienna at the VWI. They will receive a monthly stipend of €2,200. In addition, the VWI will cover housing costs during the fellowship (up to €700) as well as the costs of a round trip to and from Vienna (coach class airfare or second class train fare). There is an additional one-off payment of €500 available for research conducted outside of Vienna or photocopying costs outside of the institute, where applicable.

The Fortunoff Research fellow will be selected by the International Academic Advisory Board of the VWI and the Fortunoff Archive. Applications may be submitted in English and must include the following documents:

  • Completed application form
  • A detailed description of the research project, including the research objectives, an overview of existing research on the topic, and methodology (12,000 character maximum)
  • A list of publications and a CV with a photo, if not already included in application form (optional).

Preference will be given to Roma and Sinti applicants.

Please send your application in electronic format (in one integrated .pdf file) with the subject header "Fortunoff Research Fellowship for Study of Roma and Sinti Persecution 2023/25" by January 13, 2023 to fortunoff-fellowship@vwi.ac.at.