Visiting Scholar Program

About

The Hannah Arendt Center encourages scholars from around the world to apply for non-stipendiary Visiting Scholar Fellowships. We accept up to three scholars each semester whose work would benefit from direct access to The Hannah Arendt Personal Library (HAPL), housed in the Stevenson Library at Bard College; we also accept scholars whose interests align with faculty and fellows at the Arendt Center.

After Arendt’s death in 1975, her personal library was acquired by Bard through the efforts of co-executors Lotte Kohler and Mary McCarthy, Alexander Bazelow (’71), Irma Brandeis (Bard faculty, 1944–1979), Librarian Fred Cook, and President Leon Botstein. The collection comprises approximately 4,000 volumes, including rare pamphlets and ephemera from Arendt’s last apartment in New York City. Of particular scholarly interest are over 900 annotated volumes, many bearing marginalia, underlining, or ephemera, along with books inscribed to her by Martin Heidegger, Gershom Scholem, W. H. Auden, Randall Jarrell, and others. Some of those volumes have been digitized. For more information please visit the collection website here.

Fellowship Duration

We encourage Visiting Scholars to stay for one or two entire semesters to take full advantage of the resources, events, and scholarly community. While shorter-term stays (4-12 weeks) are welcome, priority is given to full-semester applications. Stays of under four weeks do not qualify for the Visiting Scholar Fellowship. Scholars interested in an independent short-term visit (less than four weeks) are welcome to email us for information; please note that these visits do not constitute an official affiliation with the Hannah Arendt Center or Bard College.

Recommended Timing

To experience the full breadth of scholarly activity at the Center, we suggest aligning your fellowship or visit with one of our major annual events:

Fall Conference: Mid-October
Spring Conference: Mid-March

See our calendar of events for up-to-date programming and scheduling.

Costs

A $1,000 utility fee is required. This helps support our faculty and staff in working with Visiting Scholars. We do not cover travel, relocation, housing, or visa-related costs. Scholars must secure their own funding and housing arrangements.

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester: For fellowships between September 1 – December 20
Apply by March 15 of the same year

Spring Semester: For fellowships between February 1 – May 20
Apply by September 15 of the year prior

Please note: the campus is not active outside of the academic semesters, and we are unable to offer scholarly engagement or supervision during those times.

If you are interested in applying for a full academic year stay, we ask that you submit your application one year in advance to allow sufficient time for planning and coordination (e.g. for a one-year stay starting on Sept. 1, apply by Sept 15 the year prior)

Please note: Once a fellowship is confirmed, the dates cannot be deferred or postponed. If your plans change, you will need to submit a new application for a future cycle.

APPLY HERE

Pictured here: Jana Mader in her office at Hannah Arendt’s desk, which we acquired from Arendt’s last apartment in New York City.

Questions

For questions about the Visiting Scholar Program, please contact Jana Mader, Director of Academic Programs, at [email protected].

Gallery

Lunchtime Talks
Welcome Bags
Research at Stevenson Library
Source Material

What Participants Are Saying

"During my time as a visiting scholar at the Hannah Arendt Center, I had the rare opportunity to study Arendt’s marginalia in Carl Schmitt’s books—an extraordinary resource that deepened my research. I also participated in part of the Center’s annual conference, which brings together a vibrant community of scholars, students, and public thinkers. Remarkably, the Hannah Arendt Center is more than the sum of its parts. Its independent academic programs thrive thanks to engaged faculty and deeply curious students, and the Stevenson Library staff were incredibly generous in supporting my work. In these challenging times for higher education, it’s clear that the Center depends on community support and growing membership to continue its vital mission."
-David D. Kim
Associate Vice Provost, International Institute
Professor, Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies
University of California, Los Angeles