When Darsana Varier tells others about her research topic, she finds that she is met with open ears. Her talks address anti-feminist movements in India and the resistance to initiatives that seek to criminalize marital rape. Although all European countries have passed such measures, anti-feminist movements are gaining strength here as well. To what extent are such movements similar to those in India, and how are they different? “These are exactly the kinds of comparisons I would like to make with my research,” says the Indian doctoral student, who has been working at the University of Bremen since September 2024.

This international exchange is one of the goals of the DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Programme. It promotes structured doctoral programs at graduate schools such as the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS), which is operated by the University of Bremen and Constructor University. First, the graduate schools apply for funding. If they are successful, they can advertise up to four positions for doctoral candidates to be funded by the DAAD. BIGSSS has been successful three times in a row. Doctoral students receive a monthly scholarship for up to four years, as well as grants and organizational support in setting up insurance. The DAAD also offers networking meetings for doctoral candidates.

Anti-feminist Movements: A Multi-Faceted Topic

When she began her research, Darsana Varier was quite interested in why anti-feminism emerges in diverse contexts outside the West. “India is still very patriarchal,” she explains. “Why, despite this, do some men still feel threatened enough to start organizations to defend their rights? Whom are they hoping to reach in particular and what means are they using to achieve their goals?” To answer these questions, she studies the “Save Indian Family Foundation” – an anti-feminist organization that claims to have 100,000 members, and is organized at both the federal and state level in India. On the one hand, the doctoral student analyzes written sources, such as the organization’s website and speeches by its members. On the other hand, she is conducting interviews with members.

“Sociology often refers to such organizations as fringe movements,” says Darsana Varier. This view is based on the idea that progressive movements are leading to a rise in women’s rights worldwide. In fact, however, the doctoral researcher observes opposite developments in many countries. Her work therefore wants to create a case study that will allow comparisons with situations in other countries.

Doctoral Degrees at BIGSSS: International Environment and Structured Working Conditions

The underlying concept for Darsana Varier’s comparative doctoral research was developed in Bremen. “Here in Germany, and especially in Bremen, social science research is very method-oriented, which helped me,” she says. In general, she likes the structured work in a graduate school such as BIGSSS. Together with the other doctoral students, she attends seminars on methods and theories and then works independently on her doctoral thesis while regularly presenting intermediary steps to others. “You can feel lonely very quickly during a doctorate, especially if you come from abroad and first have to find connections here,” she explains. The BIGSSS program helps her with this.

Along with Darsana Varier, seven other doctoral students are currently working at BIGSSS as part of the Graduate School Scholarship Programme, in addition to 60 doctoral reserachers from other programs. Two additional GSSP positions are currently being filled. Dr. Christian Peters, Managing Director of BIGSSS, attributes the program’s success primarily to the fundamental international structure of the program. English is the working language here; about half of the doctoral students come from abroad. “We also make sure that the content of correspondence between doctoral students and doctoral supervisors is optimized and that there is as much communication as possible,” he says.

Making International Perspectives in Research More Visible

Christian Peters has also investigated the implications of young researchers from the global South coming to Western countries to pursue doctoral degrees in his own research, as evidenced by his co-authorship with a group of international educational researchers in a highly acclaimed volume of essays on the global dimensions of doctoral research. His work also sheds light on the dark sides of relocating for PhD programs. The emigration of highly qualified people often leads to or intensifies a shortage of skilled workers in their home countries, which often has critical social or political effects. Western scientific methods and theories do not always fully account for social phenomena and structures of the global South. According to Peters, a more reciprocal exchange must be possible, which in the concrete case studies deals more productively and openly with knowledge resources and approaches from the doctoral candidates’ home countries. Cross-border research, especially in the humanities and social sciences, also requires a high degree of intercultural sensitivity. BIGSSS aims to address this, starting with job announcements. They explicitly take into account research topics that are relevant in countries of the global South or that encourage productive comparisons. BIGSSS also uses the international doctoral candidates’ contacts to expand its international network, and invites scholars who know the doctoral students from their home countries to hold lectures in Bremen.

Good conditions for PhD students, an international orientation, and committed doctoral researchers are all part of the BIGSSS Graduate School Scholarship Programme’s recipe for success. However, Christian Peters emphasizes that these structures were already in place before DAAD funding began. From 2007 to 2019, BIGSSS received funding from the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments, which the University of Bremen and Constructor University subsequently continued. “The fact that graduate schools continued to operate actively after Excellence funding ended, that – albeit under limited conditions – the great successes were maintained and innovative ideas were consolidated, was by no means a matter of course at all German universities,” emphasizes Peters. At the same time, he points to additional support services offered by the university, such as BYRD, the contact point for prospective doctoral candidates, doctoral researchers, postdocs, and advanced researchers. There is a lot of potential for synergies in doctoral assistance here. “The university directors and staff are very committed to creating good conditions for early-career researchers,” he concludes.