ASCSA NEH Fellowships: Call for Applications

ASCSA National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships
Deadline: October 31, 2020

Founded in 1881, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) is a premier resource in Greece for American scholars in the fields of Greek language, literature, history, archaeology, philosophy, and art, from pre-Hellenic times to the present. It offers two major research libraries: the Blegen, with over 113,000 volumes dedicated to the ancient Mediterranean world; and the Gennadius, with over 146,000 volumes and archives devoted to post-classical Hellenic civilization and, more broadly, the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. The School also provides centers for advanced research in archaeological and related topics at the Athenian Agora and Corinth excavations, and at the Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Sciences. By agreement with the Greek government, the ASCSA is authorized to serve as liaison with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports on behalf of American students and scholars for the acquisition of permits to conduct archaeological work and to study collections.

Since its inception in 1994, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowship program at the ASCSA has demonstrated its effectiveness by supporting projects for 60 scholars with distinguished research and teaching careers in the humanities.

Eligibility:  Postdoctoral scholars and professionals in all fields relevant to the mission of the ASCSA who are US citizens, or foreign nationals who have lived in the US for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. Applicants must already hold their Ph.D. or have completed all requirements, except for the actual conferral of the degree, by the application deadline.

Terms:  Two to four fellows will be selected for awards of 4, 5, or 9 months duration. The monthly stipend per fellow is $4,200 allocated from a total pool of $75,600 per year. Applicants should indicate their preference for the length and dates of tenure of the award to coincide with the American School’s academic year: 9 months, Sept. 2021-beginning of June 2022; 4 months, Sept. – Dec.; 5 months, January to the beginning of June. School fees are waived, and the award provides lunches at Loring Hall five days per week. The NEH Fellow will pay for travel costs, housing, residence permit, and other living expenses from the stipend. A final report is due at the end of the award period, and the ASCSA expects that copies of all publications that result from research conducted as a Fellow of the ASCSA will be contributed to the relevant library of the School. The NEH Fellow is also required to send one copy of all books and electronic copies of articles directly to the NEH.

NEH Fellows should use the American School of Classical Studies at Athens as their primary research base, but research may be carried out throughout Greece.

Application: Submit Senior “Associate Membership with Fellowship” Application online on the ASCSA web site by October 31. Link to application: https://ascsa.submittable.com/submit/115299/associate-membership-with-fellowship-application

The following items should be included in the application submitted online on the ASCSA web site:
1.   Short abstract of the project (up to 300 words).
2.   A statement of the project (up to five pages, single spaced), including desired number of months in Greece, a timetable, explicit goals, a selected bibliography, the importance of the work, the methodologies involved (where applicable), and the reasons it should occur at the ASCSA.
3.   Current curriculum vitae.  If not a US citizen, state US visa status /date of residence.
4.   Names of three recommenders who are individuals familiar with applicant’s work and field of interest. Include a list of names, positions, and addresses of the referees.  Instructions for recommenders to submit letters will be sent through the application portal. Please make sure your recommenders have submitted their letters by November 4. These letters should comment on the feasibility of the project and the applicant’s ability to carry it out successfully.

The following criteria will be used by the Selection Committee when considering applications.
1.  Are the objectives and approaches clearly stated and coherent?
2.  Will the project result in an important and original contribution?
3.  Are the research perspectives and methodologies appropriate?
4.  Is the projected timetable reasonable for the tenure of the fellowship?
5.  What resources are necessary? Does the ASCSA provide resources that are not available at the home institution?
6.  Will residence in Greece contribute substantially to the success of the project?

Web site: www.ascsa.edu.gr or https://www.ascsa.edu.gr/apply/fellowships-and-grants/postdoctoral-and-senior-scholars
E-mail: application@ascsa.org

The awards will be announced during February. Awardees will be expected to accept the award within two weeks of notification of funding, but no later than March 1.

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, color, religion, ethnic origin, or disability when considering admission to any form of membership or application for employment.

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2021 Franklin Research Grants

The American Philosophical Society’s Franklin Research Grants support the cost of research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. Applicants are expected to have a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral character and quality. The Society is particularly interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received the Ph.D.

Deadlines: October 1, 2020, and December 1, 2020

Award: up to $6,000

Contact: Linda Musumeci, Director of Grants and Fellowships, American Philosophical Society, 104 S. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

E-mail: LMusumeci@amphilsoc.org

Phone: (215) 440-3429

Web: https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/franklin-research-grants (for information and access to application portal)

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Free Online Lecture on Medieval Gender

The Julius Fund Lecture in Medieval Art

Recognizing Wilgefortis
2:00 PM EST
September 18, 2020

Professor Robert Mills, University College London

Taking as the point of departure a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, the talk will explore images of St. Wilgefortis, a crucified saint whose identity, including their gender identity, has sparked controversy. Contextualizing these images within references to medieval and early modern understandings of gender diversity and transformation, this paper will stage a dialogue between Bosch’s painting and current debates about the role of identity categories and terminology in histories of gender and sexuality.

2:00 PM EST
September 18, 2020

If you would like to attend, please e-mail Reed O’Mara (rao44@case.edu) or click here to register.

Registered attendees will receive the Zoom link and the password one week before the event.

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Mary Jaharis Center Lecture, October 1, 2020

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA, is pleased to announce that “Byzantine Pieces of an Umayyad Puzzle: A Basalt Platform in the Azraq Oasis” has been rescheduled. In this lecture, Dr. Alexander Brey, Wellesley College, will discuss an Umayyad-era basalt reservoir platform built within the Azraq oasis in eastern Jordan and places its carved interlocking stones in conservation with early Byzantine zodiac and celestial diagrams.

October 1, 2020 | Zoom | 4:00–5:00 pm (Eastern time)
This lecture will take place live on ZOOM, followed by a question and answer period. Please register to receive the ZOOM link. An email with the relevant ZOOM information will be sent 1–2 hours ahead of the lecture. Registration closes at 11:00 AM on October 1, 2020.

Register here: https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/byzantine-pieces-of-an-umayyad-puzzle-a-basalt-platform-in-the-azraq-oasis

Mary Jaharis Center lectures are co-sponsored by Harvard University Standing Committee on Medieval Studies.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

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Jobs for Medievalists

Two 4-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are available as part of the European Research Council-funded Project ‘BENEDICAMUS: Musical and Poetic Creativity for A Unique Moment in the Western Christian Liturgy, c.1000-1500’, led by Catherine A. Bradley at the University of Oslo.

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/191194/two-post-doctoral-research-fellowships

Deadline October 1st 2020

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MAA News – From the President

Dear fellow medievalists,

Six months into the pandemic – from which other countries seem to be slowly emerging — nerves are getting frayed in the United States. Professors who normally, around the middle of August, have their syllabuses ready; students who would normally flock into their dorm rooms and bookstores, all are still in suspense: will their institutions reopen? If so, for how long? Adjuncts have seen their jobs evaporate; independent scholars’ freelance work may have dried up; most libraries are closed and digital access is usually limited to faculty and students of a given university or college. We are confronted with multiple crises, medical as well as societal and thus have to find new ways to work. At the Medieval Academy we have brainstormed across many committees and constituencies to come up with panels and blogs that speak directly to some of these problems.

As medievalists, we ask ourselves: how can our skills be useful for an understanding of the current pandemic and societal crises? Several of our initiatives are looking at connections between the medieval plague and the effects of Covid-19; others are addressing those of you who are looking for different career paths and need both inspiration and hands-on advice. Two forthcoming webinars draw on the expertise of medievalists in a wide range of professions who will offer ideas and strategies for many different career paths. These paths are the topic of the first set of blogs that have just been published on the Medieval Academy Blog. These posts feature frank accounts of the twists and turns such paths can take and how our contributors have navigated them. Addressing racial inequities in our society is the focus of several other initiatives: webinars on teaching race in medieval studies; new opportunities for research support in the areas of studying race throughout history; and, looking down the road, a new ambitious mentoring program whose goal is to bring new voices into medieval studies and assure that we have a future generation of medievalists that will continue the Medieval Academy’s tradition of excellence (see below for more on these new initiatives). What has kept me going during this difficult time is the energy and enthusiasm that have come together in the projects outlined above. It is a joy to work with so many committed members who share ideas, conceive projects, and see them through so that all our members can profit from them.

Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski
President, Medieval Academy of America

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MAA News – New Inclusivity and Diversity Initiatives

The Medieval Academy of America is committed to being an organization where BIPOC scholars feel welcome, respected, heard, and safe. This commitment requires us to look both inward – at our governance, policies, and committees – and outward – at the scholarship we support, publish, and promote. As we begin the intentional work of diversifying our governance and committees, we are also committed to supporting and honoring scholarship that broadens the chronological, geographical, thematic, and critical dimensions of medieval studies, much of which scholarship is being done by scholars of color. To that end, the MAA Council recently adopted the following three programs proposed by our Inclusivity and Diversity Committee:

1) Article Prize in Critical Race Studies. This new publication prize will be awarded annually to an article in the field of medieval studies, published in a scholarly journal, that explores questions of race and the medieval world. Articles published in 2019 are eligible for the 2021 Prize and must be submitted by 15 October 2020. Click here for more information.

2) Inclusivity and Diversity Research Grant. This research grant of up to $3,000 will be awarded annually to a scholar who seeks to pursue innovative research that will broaden the scope of medieval studies. Applications for the 2021 Grant must be submitted by 31 December 2020. Click here for more information.

3) Inclusivity and Diversity Book Subvention Program. This publication subvention program provides support of up to $5,000 to university or other non-profit scholarly presses to support the publication of books concerning the study of inclusivity and diversity in the Middle Ages (broadly conceived) by Medieval Academy members. Applications, submitted by the publisher, must be received by 31 May 2021. Click here for more information.

Our thanks to our Inclusivity and Diversity Committee (Afrodesia McCannon (Chair), Andrea Achi, and Joseph Salvatore Ackley) for their hard work and thoughtful deliberations in crafting these initiatives.

In addition, the Council recently approved the creation of a Mentoring Programs Committee that will begin work in the summer of 2021, developing programs to recruit, train, and provide guidance to future mentors as well as to envision, initiate, organize, and run an array of programs focused on mentoring of first-generation, BIPOC, and early career scholars. This important initiative was proposed by an Ad Hoc Committee convened by MAA President Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski and comprised of Maureen Miller (2nd Vice-President), Hussein Fancy (Councilor), Jonathan Correa, Andrea Achi, and Nahir Otaño Gracia, We will have much more to report about this program next year.

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MAA News – September Webinars

Race, Racism, and our Institutions and Disciplines
September 18, 3-5 PM EDT

Medieval Freelancing 101
Session 1: Para-academic Work, September 8, 1-2:30 PM EDT
Session 2: Working Beyond Academia, September 22, 1-2:30 PM EDT

Race, Racism, and our Institutions and Disciplines
In the wake of recent events and ongoing racially-motivated violence, there have been many institutional responses to raise awareness of race and racism in the U.S. and beyond. This second Medieval Academy webinar on race, racism, and medieval studies is one such response. Since many of us are beginning our fall semesters, this webinar investigates race and racism as it appears in our disciplines and institutions, many of which were founded on explicitly racial grounds. The panel is designed to make us think about the structures which uphold bias practices, consider the effects of these practices on students, scholars, and scholarship of the Middle Ages, imagine ways forward, and enact potential subversions to institutionalized habits.

Click here for more information and to register.

Medieval Freelancing 101
Fellow medievalists employed beyond the professoriate have much to bring to the discussion in this time of crisis. Some have built careers in para-academic activities as professional proofreaders, indexers, editors, and translators, while others have gone further afield to work in online publishing, tourism, or publicly oriented scholarship. This two-webinar series will turn to our colleagues to empower fellow medievalists to seek out new employment opportunities using the skills we all share. Both webinars will run for 90 minutes to include discussion from the audience; the first session will address para-academic work, and the second will examine outward-facing employment opportunities.

Click here for more information and to register.

All of these webinars will be recorded and posted to the MAA YouTube channel.

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MAA News – Upcoming Deadlines

The Medieval Academy of America invites applications for the following grants. Please note that applicants must be members in good standing as of September 15 in order to be eligible for Medieval Academy awards.

Schallek Fellowship
The Schallek Fellowship provides a one-year grant of $30,000 to support Ph.D. dissertation research in any relevant discipline dealing with late-medieval Britain (ca. 1350-1500). (Deadline 15 October 2020)

Travel Grants
The Medieval Academy provides travel grants to help Academy members who hold doctorates but are not in full-time faculty positions, or are contingent faculty without access to institutional funding, attend conferences to present their work. (Deadline 1 November 2020 for meetings to be held between 16 February and 31 August 2021)

MAA/CARA Conference Grant
The MAA/CARA Conference Grant for Regional Associations and Programs awards $1,000 to help support a regional or consortial conference taking place in 2021. (Deadline 15 October 2020)

Inclusivity and Diversity Research Grant
This research grant of up to $3,000 will be awarded annually to a scholar who seeks to pursue innovative research that will broaden the scope of medieval studies. Applications for the 2021 (Deadline 31 December 2020).

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MAA News – Call for Prize Submissions

Photo: The Haskins Medal. The Medieval Academy of America

The Medieval Academy of America invites submissions for the following prizes to be awarded at the 2021 MAA Annual Meeting (University of Indiana at Bloomington, 15-18 April). Submission instructions vary, but all dossiers must complete by 15 October 2020.

PLEASE NOTE: because of the ongoing MAA office closure, PDF review copies of nominated books may be submitted instead of hardcopies (PDFs should be emailed to the Executive Director). In addition, the residency restrictions limiting eligibility for some book prizes to residents of North America have been lifted.

Haskins Medal
Awarded to a distinguished monograph in the field of medieval studies.

Digital Humanities Prize
Awarded to an outstanding digital research project or resource in the field of medieval studies.

Karen Gould Prize
Awarded to a monograph of outstanding quality in medieval art history.

John Nicholas Brown Prize
Awarded to a first monograph of outstanding quality in the field of medieval studies.

Van Courtlandt Elliott Prize
Awarded to a first article of outstanding quality in the field of medieval studies.

MAA Article Prize in Critical Race Studies
Awarded to an article in the field of medieval studies, published in a scholarly journal, that explores questions of race and the medieval world.

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