Fourteen Awardees Will Conduct Research and Writing at Two-Week Interdisciplinary Residency in Bulgaria Hosted by ACLS and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia

NEW YORK, April 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), in partnership with the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS), is pleased to name 14 scholars who will participate in the 2026 Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE). ACLS will convene these leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a two-week residency hosted by the American University in Bulgaria from June 3-19, 2026 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

Now in its fourth year, the institute offers scholars the opportunity to dedicate time to their own research and writing in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting. During SISECSE, participants will also engage in a series of group discussions exploring the topic "Autonomy, Institutions, and Transnational Networks."

The 2026 scholars are working on a variety of research topics, across a wide range of geographic areas and fields of study, including the preservation of green spaces and historic architecture in Sofia; the comparison of early twentieth-century military occupations in the Balkans; abortion activism in Poland; and community-building among the Roma population in Southeastern Europe. This year's participants represent institutions across Eastern Europe and the United States, including University of Ostrava, University of Tirana, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Texas State University.  

"The Summer Institute offers scholars from Eastern Europe and the United States a great opportunity to meet face-to-face, learn from one another's perspectives, develop their networks, and make progress on their own research projects," said ACLS Program Officer Mark Silver. "ACLS is grateful to the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia for their continued partnership in convening leading scholars of East Central and Southeastern Europe in Bulgaria." 

The Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe is made possible by a generous donation from Carl and Betty Pforzheimer. The program builds on a long history of ACLS support for humanistic scholars and scholarship in Eastern Europe, including the ACLS Humanities Program in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine (1999-2010). 

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 81 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS expands the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship.

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SOURCE American Council of Learned Societies