Argentinian sociologist as Georg Forster Fellow at Bielefeld University

The Argentinian academic Dr. Santiago Gabriel Calise is spending two years carrying out research at Bielefeld University with the help of a Georg Forster research scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. From February 2016 to January 2018, he will be specializing in the sociology of law and the sociology of regulation at the Faculty of Sociology. More specifically, he is studying how Luhmann’s systems theory can be used to characterize the social structure of Latin America.

What’s special about the Georg Forster research scholarship is that it focuses on supporting academics from developing and emerging countries. Fellows engage in a research project in Germany together with a host and a cooperation partner of their own choice. Calise opted for Professor Dr. Alfons Bora, an expert in the field of the sociology of law and the systems theory at Bielefeld University’s Faculty of Sociology. ‘I chose Bielefeld University because I taught Luhmann’s theory in Argentinia. As Luhmann spent many years working in Bielefeld, I think that Bielefeld is the best place for my research,’ says Calise over the cooperation partnership.

Calise is studying how he can use systems theory to interpret the structure of society in Latin America. The aim of his project is to take the case of Latin America as a touchstone for testing the theory of global society in systems theory. ‘In my first month in Bielefeld, I soon realized that the debate on systems theory in Argentina is not very up to date. I hope that my stay here will improve that somewhat.’

Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards up to 80 Georg Forster research scholarships. This year, eight of them went to Bielefeld University. The fellows receive a basic sum of between 31,800 and 37,800 Euro per year. They also have, for example, the opportunity to attend a German language course and receive financial support for their family to come with them. With their research projects, the fellows should make an important contribution to the development of the country or region they come from. They also contribute to the exchange of knowledge and methods between Germany and their country of origin.

Further information is available online at:
www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/georg-forster-stipendium.html