The Mapping Inequities Fellowship – Apply Now!

Deadline: 13-Feb-22

Applications are now open for the Mapping Inequities Fellowship.

The US Fellowship program will consist of a two and half week virtual workshop. A group of 20 American and European Fellows and Senior Fellows will embark on a collaborative investigation and interpretation of spatial data within their respective geographies to illuminate pressing social inequities. These investigations will result in projects that will form an accessible digital exhibition for the public.

Each day, Fellows will spend three hours in virtual sessions and two hours engaged in on-the-ground inquiries and practice. The virtual sessions will consist of lectures from international mapping/data practitioners and academics leading this innovative field. The virtual workshops will also include sessions to learn and critique each other’s projects. The on-the-ground inquiries will involve working in the field, moving away from the computer to explore and generate knowledge and design a project. The projects in the field may be undertaken individually or in small groups if location and technology permit. Fellows choose the community or space that they map, as long as they have access to it geographically or digitally. The purpose of the fieldwork is to produce new data or layer existing data to create a new map.

After the conclusion of the 2.5 week Fellowship, participants will be expected to expand upon their maps and/or share and use their maps in social justice contexts over the next year. Fellows will also be expected to join the Action Lab Series, which convenes monthly from September 2022-February 2023.

Examples Of Fieldwork Include:

Walking through your neighborhood and accounting for different characteristics; collecting photos and data
Scouring the internet for data, local sites and their significance, etc.;
Using Google Maps;
Layering and integrating different maps or sets of data to draw new conclusions;
Finding an under-mapped community or space and trying to fill in the gaps;
Creating a spatial audit – is a certain place or community accessible, or are there barriers for certain groups?

Eligibility Criteria

Application accepted from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland, USA.
Participants Will:
- Explore theories and histories of public and private property rights as well as cultural rights (rites) in the United States and European countries. The focus will be on post-industrial cities and particularly Detroit;
- Understand how individuals and groups employ maps and data to oppress as well as to resist and protest inequities;
- Learn the basics and various of techniques of mapping, data visualization, and multimedia storytelling;
- Create their own maps and data visualizations to reveal hidden stories, overturn harmful dominant narratives, and provoke change at a neighborhood, city, state, or country level.
- Applicants do not need experience with data collection, analysis, mapping, or visualization. However, applicants should have a keen interest in learning how to tell impactful visual stories with data. While there are no costs associated with this Fellowship, if a Fellow needs financial support to enable virtual participation, Humanity in Action will consider such need. Fellows should be in touch with Humanity in Action staff after acceptance into the program.