Through a program of fellowship competitions, regional workshops, and peer networking, the African Humanities Program provides support to the humanities in five African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The program is supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The centerpiece of the program is the distribution of fellowships to African scholars in these countries for work on dissertations, research projects, and scholarly manuscripts. The African Humanities Program will award approximately 40 such fellowships in its 2008-2009 competition. In future years, funding will be available to subsidize the publication of manuscripts completed with fellowships of the African Humanities Program.
In coordination with African scholars, ACLS hosts a series of annual meetings in the five African countries participating in the program. These meetings provide opportunities for senior African scholars from a variety of disciplines to collaborate with ACLS representatives in the local design of programs, while giving younger scholars a means to learn about the application process and gain feedback on their project proposals. Through the activities of the African Humanities Program, ACLS promotes local and transnational cooperation among humanities scholars at all stages of their careers, working towards the development of a self-sustaining network of African humanities scholars.
The African Humanities Program is inspired by a commitment to the humanities as a core component of higher education in Africa, essential to progress and development. The ACLS defines the humanities as those disciplines that study human cultures, languages, and histories through the use of qualitative methods. Among the disciplines contributing to humanities scholarship are anthropology, history, literature, religion, philosophy and studies of the fine and performing arts.
Application forms may be downloaded or requested by email [1]. ACLS encourages the submission of applications via email.
- Instructions and Application Form [2] (Doc)
- Instructions and Application Form [3] (PDF)
For further information, please email [4] or check The African Humanities Program [5]