Inaugural Event of the Hannah Arendt Fellowships

On 19 May 2026, the Hannah Arendt Fellowships officially launched with an inaugural event in Göttingen. Initiated by the State of Lower Saxony on the recommendation of the Wissenschaftliche Kommission Niedersachsen (WKN) and funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, the programme is coordinated by the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

During the ceremony, President Prof. Daniel Göske of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities and State Secretary Prof. Joachim Schachtner warmly welcomed the inaugural cohort of ten fellows from eight countries – Austria, Estonia, Canada, the United States, France, Israel, Argentina, and the Netherlands – as well as their local tandem partners from various academic institutions across Lower Saxony.

In its first year, the fellowship projects focus on the theme of Defining Democracy – Describing Democracies – Comparing Democracies.