CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Building Capacity for Early Career
Humanities Scholars in Africa
Building Capacity for Early Career Humanities Scholars (BECHS-Africa) is a partnership involving four universities: University of Ghana, American University in Cairo, Stellenbosch University and Washington University in St. Louis, with University of Ghana as the lead Institution. Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, it is a three-year transnational programme, which seeks to enhance research capacity for early career scholars in the humanities in Africa. The programme will fund the travel, housing and other related costs of selected early career humanities scholars from the four institutions to spend four to six months at one of the other partner institutions.
The aim of the project is to create a space for scholars in the humanities to enhance their research agenda in their early career years. The period of stay (four to six months) in the collaborating institution will allow for targeted mentorship and guidance for the selected scholars by identified senior scholars who share their research interests, while also providing an avenue for interaction and the sharing of research ideas and methodologies with peers. The project is unique in many respects as, unlike some existing initiatives, it seeks to create avenues for early career scholars to have the opportunity of residency in a region of Africa other than their own or in a global north institution.
The Fellowship
The Project provides a four to six-month attachment to any of the four collaborating institutions. Support comprises the following:
Expectations:
Successful applicants are expected to:
Eligibility
To be eligible an applicant must:
Collaborating Institutions
The institutions involved in BECHS-Africa have been selected to provide opportunities for fellows to carry out their residency across three regions of Africa: western, southern and northern Africa, as well as at one institution in the United States. The institutions are all highly ranked in the Times Higher Educational Rankings of Universities, are active in research in the humanities and social sciences and have demonstrated high research output. The selection has also been informed by the availability of mentors and adequate library facilities to support a robust and dynamic academic environment. They are:
University of Ghana (lead institution)
American University in Cairo
Stellenbosch University
Washington University in Saint Louis
Submission of Applications
Eligible candidates should complete the project application coversheet, which can be downloaded here. The completed form must be signed, dated, endorsed and submitted together with the following documents, combined into a single PDF. Full applications should be submitted electronically via email to bechs-africa@ug.edu.gh.
In addition, the applicant should arrange for a detailed academic letter of reference from a senior colleague familiar with her/his research and career trajectory to be submitted separately to bechs-africa@ug.edu.gh.
Complete applications must be received by 1700 GMT on June 14th, 2019. Selection will be made by August 5th, 2019. Scholars should be in residence at their host institutions by January/February 2020.
For further information, please contact the representative at your institution:
Please click here for the application form