CALL FOR RESEARCH FELLOW APPLICATIONS:

ISGAP-Woolf Institute Fellowship Training Programme in Critical Contemporary Antisemitism Studies, Discrimination and Human Rights at the Woolf Institute,
Cambridge, U.K.
ISGAP is pleased to announce an open call for applications for three Research Fellowships designed for postdoctoral and early career scholars who possess expertise in the interdisciplinary study of critical contemporary antisemitism, discrimination, and human rights. Exceptional advanced doctorate students will be considered.

The Research Fellowship Programme offers a unique opportunity to study and develop methods to map, decode, and combat contemporary antisemitism. With the support of a distinguished group of international scholars and policymakers, this programme invites research fellows to be based at the Woolf Institute, Cambridge for a duration of up to two academic years. Fellows may also qualify for membership at St. Edmunds College, Cambridge University. 

The Research Fellowship Training Programme in Critical Contemporary Antisemitism Studies, Discrimination and Human Rights aims to foster an innovative approach to the interdisciplinary study of contemporary antisemitism and help to develop a school of thought for critical contemporary antisemitism studies. The Research Fellows will be expected to engage in ‘strategic research’ projects under the directorship and guidance of Dr. Charles Asher Small (D.Phil. Oxon) – Director of the ISGAP-Woolf Institute Fellowship Training Programme on Critical Antisemitism Studies, Discrimination and Human Rights – Research Fellows will be expected to develop and coordinate programming initiatives, such as academic seminar series and international conferences in which they will present their work to colleagues. 

Applicants should hold a doctorate in a related discipline and demonstrate substantial research experience, a publications record, and insights into contemporary antisemitism, discrimination, and human rights. As part of the application process, candidates are required to submit a letter of application that includes a research proposal outlining their intended activities and a research fellowship. The proposal should include an interdisciplinary framework with both qualitative and quantitative analysis, that will foster impactful insights into the examination of contemporary antisemitism, discrimination, and human rights in an age of globalisation. The relevance of the research topic will carry significant weight in the selection process. In addition, applicants must submit a curriculum vitae, three reference letters, and a sample of written work.

Candidates will be selected by the ISGAP Academic Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Charles Asher Small. Successful candidates will be required to reside in Cambridge during the academic terms and will receive a stipend of £31,900 – £39,900 per annum, depending on qualifications. 

The deadline for applications is 31 October 2023.

For more information, please email Elshaday Abraham at [email protected]

Director and Research Fellows:

Dr. Charles Asher Small is the Director of the Fellowship Training Programme on Critical Antisemitism Studies, Discrimination and Human Rights at the Woolf Institute. Dr. Small is also an Academic Visitor at St. Antony’s College, Oxford. Charles specializes in the fields of contemporary antisemitism, including the delegitimization of Israel and notions of Jewish Peoplehood, social and cultural theory, globalization and national identity, social movements, Political Islam, and racism(s) – including antisemitism(s).

Charles convened groundbreaking academic seminar series in the emerging field of contemporary antisemitism studies at Columbia University, Fordham University, Harvard University, McGill University, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, Sapienza University, Rome, the Sorbonne and the CNRS, Paris, Stanford University, University of Miami, Yale University, as well as an academic training program for professors at Hertford College, St. John’s College, and St. Antony’s College, Oxford.

Charles is the author of books and articles including the six Volume “Global Antisemitism: A Crisis of Modernity” (Brill and ISGAP); “The Yale Papers: Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective”, ISGAP (2015); “Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective: Volume Two”, ISGAP (2016); “The ISGAP Papers: Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective: Volume Three”, ISGAP (2018) and “Social Theory – a Historical Analysis of Canadian Socio-cultural Policies Race and the Other”, Eleven International Publishers (2013); Charles is committed to creating scholarly programming and research on contemporary antisemitism at top tier universities internationally, and establishing contemporary antisemitism studies as a recognized academic discipline.

Dr. Lev Topor, ISGAP Visiting Scholar in Critical Antisemitism Studies, Discrimination and Human Rights at the Woolf Institute. Lev Topor is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Cyber Law and Policy (CCLP) in the University of Haifa and a visiting Research Fellow at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem (Summer 2022).

Lev is the co-author (with Jonathan Fox) of Why Do People Discriminate Jews?, an innovative and ground-breaking book published by Oxford University Press in 2021 that combines traditional theories on antisemitism with empirical evidence from 76 countries to explain the reasons that drive discrimination against Jews. Lev is an interdisciplinary researcher that studies antisemitism alongside cyber-related topics like international cyber policies and anonymous communications.

Lev is frequently invited to lecture about his study of racism and extremism on the Dark Web. Lev is the recipient of the 2019 Robert Wistrich annual award from the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism (SICSA) and the recipient of the honorary award from the Association of Civil-Military Studies in Israel for his research about the Dark Web.

Selected Publications:

  • Fox, Jonathan and Lev Topor. Why Do People Discriminate Against Jews? Oxford University Press, 2021.
  • Topor, Lev. “The Covert War: From BDS to De-legitimization to Antisemitism.” Israel Affairs 27, no. 1 (2021): 166-180.
  • Topor, Lev and Alexander Tabachnik. “Russian Cyber Information Warfare: International Distribution and Domestic Control.” Journal of Advanced Military Studies 12, no. 1 (2021): 112-127.
  • Topor, Lev. “Dark Hatred: Antisemitism on the Dark Web.” Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism 2 (2019): 25-42.
  • Topor, Lev. “Dark and Deep Webs – Liberty or Abuse.” International Journal of Cyber Warfare and Terrorism (IJCWT) 9, no. 2 (2019): 1-14.
  • Topor, Lev. “Explanations of Antisemitism in the British Postcolonial Left.” Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism 1, no. 2 (2018): 1-14.

Dr. Chloe Yale Pinto, ISGAP Visiting Scholar in Critical Antisemitism Studies, Discrimination and Human Rights at the Woolf Institute. Her work investigates the interplay between textual antisemitism and literary theory, researching how the plasticity of anti-Jewish prejudice informs and infects the meaning of words.

Chloe is a final year PhD Candidate in English (Criticism and Culture) at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. Her doctoral research focuses on the relationship between artwork and antisemitism in Ezra Pound’s work and thought, and lies at the intersection between the politics of exclusion and the interplay between text, ideology and image. She previously co-convened Cambridge’s Theory, Criticism and Culture seminar series and currently supervises undergraduate and postgraduate work on poetry, film and literary theory.

Before beginning at Cambridge she graduated as Valedictorian from the New College of the Humanities where she was awarded the Sir Charles Harris Prize for achieving the highest degree results for the University of London English BA worldwide. Following this, she completed the MSt in Literature (1900-The Present Day) at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford (Distinction). Chloe is a Research Fellow at ISGAP and has been invited to lecture on numerous topics relating to contemporary antisemitism and literature.

STAFF

Haras Rafiq is a trustee of the UK Charity Muslims Against Antisemitism. Haras has been a Counter-Extremism and Counter Terrorism expert since 2004. Furthermore, Haras has served as CEO for seven years at Quilliam International’s (the world’s first counter Islamism think tank) and as an Executive Board Member. In addition to this, Haras has been a trustee of the UK and French Government Securities Think Tank – The Franco British Council. Until 2018 he was a member of the Advisory Group on Online Terrorist Propaganda at Europol’s European Counter-terrorism Centre. Prior to this, Haras has held senior positions within large Corporate Organisations.

Elshaday Abraham is ISGAP’s Director of Programming and Operations, who joined ISGAP following the completion of the MPA Public Administration and Management program at University College London. She completed her BA in International Affairs at the University of Virginia. Prior to her time at ISGAP, Elshaday served as a Program Manager for a USAID-funded project on global health in Washington D.C. She also served the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a Protection Intern in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Elshaday drives the publication and programming efforts at ISGAP.