American Research Center in Sofia

Non-profit foundation registered in Bulgaria in 2005 and dedicated to promoting and supporting research and activities in the Humanities and Social Sciences in the context of Bulgaria and neighboring Balkan countries.

The Mission of the American Research Center in Sofia is to promote and support research and activities in the Humanities and Social Sciences in the context of Bulgaria and neighboring Balkan countries (Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Romania and Serbia). An important part of our Mission is to build bridges between North American and Southeast European scholars and institutes as well as between the academic and public realms. As an international institution for academic research, ARCS strives to be of great value to both Southeast European and Western scholars, just as other American Overseas Research Centers have enormously facilitated the study of the humanities and social sciences in their host countries.

 

• to encourage and support research in the humanities and social sciences (anthropology, archaeology, history, art history, epigraphy, and philology) in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe on the period from prehistory through Late Antiquity;
• to encourage and support research in the humanities and social sciences (archaeology, art history, cultural anthropology, epigraphy, history, ethnicity and culture, folklore, modern languages and literary studies) on the historical periods in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe after Late Antiquity;
• to advocate the protection of archaeological and historical sites and monuments in Bulgaria and neighboring Southeast European countries;
• to foster research and collaboration between North American scholars and those in Bulgaria and neighboring Southeast European countries, all of which share strong cultural and historical ties and heritage;
• to facilitate a dialog among scholars from the countries in the region and provide a forum for objective assessment and analysis of local histories and to promote free academic discussion of debatable topics in any chronological period.

• maintains a specialized research library whose collection reflects the geographic, temporal and thematic scope of our mission;
• offers Fellowships and Awards to scholars from North American and Southeast European universities and institutes;
• organizes public lectures, workshops, conferences and educational programs;
• publishes monographs and collective volumes;
• cooperates and collaborates with public and private universities and institutes in the region;
• cooperates and collaborates with North American universities and institutes, including the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and the American Research Institute in Turkey;
• this includes facilitating the work of North American scholars through the provision of logistical support and expertise;
• promotes collaborative archaeological projects between North American and Bulgarian scholars through an annual competition in conjunction with The Field Museum in Chicago;
• offers financial support and expert advice to museums and the managers of archaeological sites in Bulgaria through an annual competition in conjunction with The Field Museum in Chicago.

• Pre-doctoral fellowships (3- and 9-months) for US-based students
• A Postdoctoral fellowship (6 months) for US-based scholars
• Scholarships for Bulgarian PhD students and Postdoctoral scholars to conduct research at our counterparts in Greece and Turkey
• Travel awards for Bulgarian scholars participating in international conferences
• Grant programs for collaborative archaeology projects in Bulgaria
• A Grant program for Site Preservation, Conservation, and Museum Enhancement Projects in Bulgaria