applying for French fellowships

[rabbitandfox23]

I would be grateful to have the views of colleagues who have applied to fellowships in France in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
I'm in the process of writing an application for a short term fellowship at the Sciences Po and they indicate that the application can be written in French or in English.
I wonder, however, if there is a bias for French written applications, even from international candidates?  Or would an English application indeed be an advantage somehow?

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this!

[traductio]

I don't know from the evaluators' point of view, but I suspect it doesn't matter too much, as French institutions of higher learning (especially those of the stature of Sciences Po) are seeking to raise their profile internationally. One way to do that is to encourage internationalization, which puts English in a privileged position.

For what it's worth, I submitted an application for a fellowship at the Institut d'études avancées in Nantes in English, despite speaking fluent French. The project I would work on (if my application is accepted and if travel restrictions are lifted) would be in English, so writing a project description in French would have been strange.

[dinomom]

I don't have an answer to this question exactly but I know that for at least certain masters programs, Sciences Po only accepts rec letters in English. (The student I was writing for does not speak fluent French and a number of their masters programs are conducted in English, for what it is worth.) The Institut d'études avancées in Paris also only accepts apps in English, so it is likely a question of prestige as traductio suggested.

Do you have a track record of publishing in French? This might be a relevant data point for them regardless of the language you choose to write your app in.

[rabbitandfox23]

Thank you both, traductio and dinomom-- you raise good points. I don't have much by way of French publications, although I have written a book review in French, and published in English in French journals, and have spent extensive time working at the BnF - perhaps foregrounding this on my CV will be helpful.  My proposed project is on a French subject, but the end product (two scholarly articles) will be published in English. So I think you've both convinced me to just submit the English version I already have. It would, in any case, save me a lot of time translating my entire dossier in French!

[mamselle]

Allez-y!

Je suis rat de la BnF...

But not this year....boo...

M.

[rabbitandfox23]

While on the topic, I may also apply for a short term fellowship at the Fondation Maison des sciences de l'homme (DEA Programme [Directeurs d'Études Associés, or Associate Research Directors]). Does anyone have experience with this fellowship?