Call for Applications: Mentoring Programme for Early Career Human Rights Scholars from designated countries in the Global Majority

The Human Rights Defender Exchange (HRDx) is aimed at supporting and expanding communities of scholarship and practice in the nascent field of Human Rights Defender Studies. HRDx is launching a two-year mentoring programme for early career human rights scholars in and from designated countries in the Global Majority who conduct research related to human rights defenders and/or human rights activism (see below).

This programme is a collaboration between the Centre for Social Justice and Community Action, Durham University (UK), the Centre for Law and Social Justice, Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), the Networked Teaching and Learning Centre, Goiás State University (UEG, Brazil), the African Universities Hub for Human Rights, University of the Western Cape (South Africa), and the York Law School, University of York (UK). *

This programme will provide early career human rights scholars with:

(a) mentorship and international networking opportunities;
(b) support in developing diverse academic writing styles and in engaging with different publics; and
(c) career development opportunities.

Project activities include: mentoring, online knowledge exchange activities, and an in-person writing workshop in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in July 2027. Each scholar will be supported in writing three international publications in English.

You must fit three essential criteria to be accepted into this programme, which are as follows:

You must be in or from one of the following countries: Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam or a Least Developed Country (that is: Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia; Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Timor-Leste and Yemen; Caribbean: Haiti; Pacific: Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu)
You must have conducted research about human rights defenders and/or human rights activism for more than three years and less than 10 years (that is, an ‘early career scholar’)
You must be willing and able to participate in most of the activities in this programme (as described in the attached document)

To apply for a place on this mentoring programme, please complete this form by 10 August 2026. All applicants will be notified of the decision by 15 September 2026. For further information, please contact Dr Alice M. Nah (alice.m.nah@durham.ac.uk).

* This programme is led by Dr Alice Nah, Dr Herlambang Wiratraman, Prof. Ulisses Terto Neto, Dr Mmeli Dube, and Prof. Martin Jones and is funded through a British Academy International Writing Workshops 2025 grant.

Call for Applications: Mentoring Programme for Early Career Human Rights Scholars from designated countries in the Global Majority

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