Deadline: 30 November 2012
Open to: candidates working on their dissertations (ABD), postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars, especially young scholars.
Fellowship: Stipends up to $3,500 per month for local housing and living expenses, plus stipend to offset cost of direct travel to and from Washington, DC.
Description
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies awards fellowships on a competitive basis to support significant research and writing about the Holocaust. They welcome proposals from scholars in all relevant academic disciplines, including history, political science, literature, Jewish studies, philosophy, religion, sociology, anthropology, comparative genocide studies, law, and others.
Center fellows have access to approximately 70 million pages of Holocaust related archival documentation; the Museum’s extensive library; oral history, film, photo, art, artifacts, and memoir collections; and a Holocaust survivors and victims database. Many of these sources have not been examined by scholars and offer unprecedented opportunities to deepen knowledge about the Holocaust and further advance the field of Holocaust studies.
In addition, fellows have access to the digitized holdings of the International Tracing Service (ITS) relating to the fates of 17.5 million people who were subject to incarceration, forced labor, and displacement as a result of World War II. Over the next several years, the Museum expects the complete receipt of more than 100 million digital images of archival material from the ITS. They especially encourage proposals from applicants interested in the ITS records.
Center fellows work with other new and established Holocaust scholars from the United States and abroad, enabling them to test ideas, share research findings, debate methodological or interpretive approaches, and develop comparative frameworks for individual projects. The Center’s weekly fellows meetings and senior seminar programs provide stimulating forums for debate and discussion. Fellows also participate in the Center’s outreach activities at universities and other academic institutions, both locally and throughout the United States.
The Center provides work space and access to a computer, telephone, facsimile machine, and photocopier.
The specific fellowship and the length of the award are at the Center’s discretion. Individual awards generally range up to nine consecutive months of residency; a minimum of three consecutive months is required. No exceptions are allowed. Fellowships of five months or longer have proven most effective.
Stipends range up to $3,500 per month for the purpose of defraying local housing and other miscellaneous living expenses and are subject to US tax law. Awards include a stipend to offset the cost of direct travel to and from Washington, DC.
The Center is able to provide visa assistance to fellows and their dependents, if necessary. Fellows are responsible for arranging their own housing accommodations and health insurance. They do not provide support allowances for accompanying family members.
Eligibility
The Center awards fellowships-in-residence to candidates working on their dissertations (ABD), postdoctoral researchers, and senior scholars.
Because a principle focus of the program is to ensure the development of a new generation of Holocaust scholars, they especially encourage scholars early in their careers to apply. Applicants must be affiliated with an academic and/or research institution when applying for a fellowship. They will also consider immediate post-docs and faculty between appointments.
Application
Fellowship applications and supporting materials must be received by November 30, 2012. They will announce decisions in March 2013. All applications must be submitted in English via an online application process and must include the following:
- An online application form AVAILABLE HERE
- A project proposal, in PDF format, not to exceed five single-spaced pages
- A curriculum vitae summary, in PDF format, not to exceed four single-spaced pages
- Two signed letters of recommendation that speak to the significance of the proposed project and the applicant’s ability to carry it out. Members of the Academic Committee of the United States Memorial Council may not write letters of recommendation. For a list of Academic Committee members see HERE.
Please direct inquiries and questions to:
Jo-Ellyn Decker, Program Coordinator
Visiting Scholar Programs
Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW
Washington, DC 20024-2126
T: 202.314.7829
F: 202.479.9726
vscholars@ushmm.org
See the original call for applications AVAILABLE HERE.
