Program

Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies

Reimagining the Field of China Studies in the US and Canada

Since 2012, the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies has worked to strengthen the field in North America, with a focus on scholars early in their careers. Today China studies faces mounting pressures, including barriers to access, shrinking opportunities, and threats to academic inquiry. In 2023, after extensive consultations with field stakeholders, the program was reimagined to meet the needs of the field and the scholars who sustain it. 

Through fellowships, grants, workshops, events, and field-building resources, the program aims to make the discipline more inclusive, foster publicly engaged scholarship, and develop the resources and capacity to secure its future. 

Program Goals

The redesigned Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies has three goals: 

  1. To broaden the field of China studies by amplifying scholars and scholarship that contribute diverse perspectives on Chinese cultures, societies, and history, and by supporting a wider range of researchers and institutions. 
  1. To address the collective challenges facing China studies by building networks, capacity, and durable infrastructure, and by pursuing effective strategies for long-term change in the discipline. 
  1. To sustain creative and responsive scholarship that informs public understanding of China and its influence and impact on communities, countries, and cultures around the world.

Fellowships and Grants

In 2026-27, ACLS is offering fellowships and grants to support research, writing, and creative scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. There are no restrictions regarding methodological approach or time period. 

Fellowship and Grant competitions: 

  • Travel grants for graduate students and non-tenure track researchers. Grants offer $5,000 for travel at any time during a 12-month period. 
  • Flexible, short-term fellowships for early career scholars in teaching or service-heavy positions to carry out research and writing towards a scholarly product. The fellowship offers a $15,000 stipend with no leave requirement. 
  • Long-term research fellowships for early career scholars that enable recent PhDs to take full leave from university responsibilities for four to nine months to carry out research and writing towards a scholarly product. The minimum stipend is $20,000 and the maximum is $45,000. 

Awards are supported by the Henry Luce Foundation. 

Resources for Fellows and Grantees

Publicly Engaged Scholarship

ACLS holds the core belief that knowledge is a public good. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consider the broader impact of their research, especially its potential to increase public engagement with humanistic knowledge and scholarship. 

Mentorship

ACLS hosts a networking and mentorship event in conjunction with the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference for current fellows and alumni. Further information on this year’s event in Boston will be shared with fellows in January 2027. 

Special Projects

Luce/ACLS China Studies Digital Mapping Project

The Luce/ACLS China Studies Digital Mapping Project is an ongoing initiative that aims to enhance and expand access to primary materials and source collections that are vital to the advancement of the China studies field. The project and website are composed of three main elements: a directory of significant Sinophone resources available outside mainland China; a common access plan to help scholars locate collections at key institutions regardless of current rank or affiliation; and a knowledge base of best practices for organizations seeking to digitize and preserve print collections. 

The Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies promotes inclusion, equity, and diversity as integral components of merit that enhance the scholarly enterprise. It is a priority that every cohort of fellows and grantees be broadly inclusive of different backgrounds, cultures, and any aspects that make one unique. In China studies, we seek a wide range of educational backgrounds, unique personal experiences, and current university affiliations, as well as disciplinary approaches, topics, and historical periods studied. The program welcomes applications from all eligible individuals, and selection is made without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, age, or any other aspect of identity. 

Contact

For more information, please review competition pages. Questions? Email [email protected]. Institutional administrators (e.g., Office of Sponsored Projects) should read our general guidance. 

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