Charles Taylor Annual Summer Institute on Democratic Agendas 2026

🗓️ 29 June – 4 July 2026
📍Belgrade, Serbia

The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT) at the University of Belgrade invites applications for the 2026 Charles Taylor Annual Summer Institute on Democratic Agendas – Institutions in Motion: Democracy Between Social Struggle and the State.

The Summer Institute examines what potential democratic institutions hold for responding to the political challenges of the twenty-first century; from transforming social justice claims into durable institutions, to understanding how democratic institutions fail through cooptation, bureaucratic neutralisation, or repression.

The Institute brings together an interdisciplinary and globally diverse faculty, including Prathama Banerjee (New Delhi), Craig Calhoun (Arizona State University), Harris Feinsod (Johns Hopkins University), Shalini Randeria (Central European University), Stephen Sawyer and Roman Zinigrad (American University of Paris), as well as Srđan Prodanović and Irena Fiket (IFDT, University of Belgrade).

It is organised by the Center for Transcultural Studies, IFDT Belgrade, and the Center for Global Culture and Communication at Northwestern University, with support from the Mastercard Foundation, Arizona State University, the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Eligibility: Advanced MA and PhD students from around the world. At least 25 students will be admitted with substantial funding, including tuition waivers, accommodation, partially covered meals, and travel assistance (priority for students from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Western Balkans).

⏳ Application deadline: 15 March 2026