Mohamed Ali Foundation Fellowship 2027 at Durham University

Durham University holds the private papers of Abbas Hilmi II, the last Khedive of Egypt, and the Mohamed Ali Foundation pays scholars to come and work on them. This is the final year of the programme, so it is the last chance to hold this fellowship.

What the fellowship provides

Fellows will be awarded an honorarium upon completion of their fellowship, and accommodation and all meals will be provided for the duration of the fellowship; a research travel grant is also available to each fellow. Fellows also get full access to university facilities, including the library and computing services, during the residency.

Who it is for

Fellows will be early career, meaning post-doctoral, or established scholars. There is no nationality condition. Making full use of the collection will require good reading knowledge of Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, French, and English, which is the genuine barrier here rather than any formal criterion. The online catalogue shows which languages each file uses, so you can judge before applying.

Topics the panel wants this year

The panel has named its interests: infrastructure in its social and political context, the use of new technologies to publicise the Khedive, gender dynamics within the Khedival family and Egyptian society, the management of the Khedive's estate through mechanisms such as waqf, the nationalist movement in its relation to the Khedive, and political activism by secret organisations.

You may not have to move

Accommodation is offered at Durham for the spring term, but residencies can be arranged in other terms, and fellows may be permitted to live in Cairo or Istanbul for the duration and use the digitised collection, which is freely available online. Every fellow visits Durham at least briefly to deliver a lecture.

Deadline

The deadline for 2027 Fellowship programme applications to be received is Tuesday 20 October 2026. Applications go in two parts: the form, plus a project proposal of two to three pages and a curriculum vitae sent by email. Both parts must arrive or the application is not considered.