Deadline: 6-Jan-23
The Social Science Research Council invites applications from early career researchers for two year-long fellowships to conduct qualitative studies of arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Terms of the Fellowship
- The SSRC will appoint 2 new fellows in total to join the 2023 cohort. Fellows are expected to begin their 12-month studies sometime between May and August 2023. The timeline as well as the nature of work to be conducted will depend on the needs of each organization and will be determined in collaborative dialogue between each fellow and organization.
- This ethnographic work may include observing and participating in meetings of the organization, assisting with administrative tasks, conducting oral history interviews, and working in existing archives or developing archival systems for existing materials.
- In addition to their ethnographic studies, all fellows will participate in regular professional learning community activities, including seminars and check-ins, together with the program’s research advisory committee and SSRC staff. Fellows are expected to produce materials of benefit to the participating organizations and to publish on aspects of their research for both academic and public audiences.
Benefits
- Each fellow will receive a stipend of $70,000 for the 12-month research period, as well as up to $15,000 to cover costs associated with relocation (where relevant), research set-up, and involvement in any pre-research activities such as workshops and other meetings.
Eligibility Criteria
- The fellowship is open to early career social researchers who hold a PhD or equivalent terminal degree in a relevant field in the social sciences or humanities, including but not limited to anthropology, arts administration, sociology, history, art history, (including performing arts disciplines), arts education, and political science. Prospective fellows’ doctoral degrees must have been conferred no earlier than January 2017 and no later than May 2023.
- Finalists will be required to verify their degree status prior to beginning the fellowship term. Applicants must have conducted substantial ethnographic or similar qualitative research with community-serving or cultural organizations of some kind. Experience with arts organizations of color is valuable, but not required. The fellowship requires a full-time commitment for the fellowship year, and prospective fellows will be expected to commit an average of 35 hours per week for the year of the fellowship.
- In cases where a fellow is matched with an organization located outside of their home city, relocation to the organization’s home city is the optimal arrangement. However, alternative arrangements may be possible, depending on a range of circumstances, and will be judged on a case-bycase basis, in consultation with the organization’s leadership team.
- It is critical that all fellows have a demonstrable ability to create and maintain trust within communities like those represented by the participating arts organizations. Preference will be given to early career scholars of color, in particular to researchers with demonstrated familiarity with the cultural, linguistic, and/or regional context of the organizations.
For more information, visit SSRC.