Eligibility
Applicants must be residents of East or Southeast Asia and have their primary professional affiliation at an institution in this region. Applicants must hold an advanced degree in a relevant discipline such as archaeology, anthropology, art history, literature, or history; must be nearing completion of such a degree; or must possess commensurate experience at archives, museums, or field sites. Proficiency in English sufficient for academic work in the United States or Canada is required.
Definitions
- Each application, whether in “archaeology” or “early history,” must be based on excavations or excavated materials.
- For the purposes of this program, “archaeology” is defined as work examining the relationship between human society and material culture in any period and “early history” as research on the record of a given society’s formative period(s).
- Applications dealing with the recent past are eligible, but only if they are based on excavated materials. However, applicants who propose excavations (and the technical analysis of their finds) – from whatever period – must also propose to discuss their significance for human interactions.
Applicants should state clearly in their application essays how the work or training they propose fits these broad guidelines.
Terms
Award amounts, which are intended to cover research costs and living expenses, will vary by grant category and length of grant period. A travel allowance will also be provided for travel to the United States or Canada. ACLS offices in New York, Hanoi, and Beijing will assist individual grantees, as appropriate, in obtaining air tickets, visas, and health insurance, and will pay any institutional fees required for affiliation or residence. The remainder of the award will be paid directly to the grantee.
Grant Categories
Applicants should indicate on the application form the type of grant for which they wish to apply and should address the specific objectives and circumstances of that grant category in the required application essay.
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Study and Research Fellowships will be awarded to doctoral candidates, recent recipients of the Ph.D. degree, and scholars with equivalent research experience for a full academic-year residence at a university, research institute, or museum in the United States or Canada for study of new methods and comparative perspectives relevant to their research, to the courses they teach, or to their other professional responsibilities.
Award: $28,000 for ten months (amount reduced pro-rata for shorter tenure) plus travel allowance.
Priority will be given to scholars early in their careers. Proposals should build on the knowledge and skills applicants possess and should aim to enhance their current research or teaching.
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Summer Field-School Scholarships will be awarded to scholars, archivists, curators, conservators, and other professionals for study of archaeological techniques and comparative perspectives at excavation sites outside of East and Southeast Asia administered by U.S. or Canadian institutions. An advanced degree is not required to apply for this grant. A list of approved field schools is available from ACLS. Applicants should contact the field school/s of their choosing directly, indicating on the ACLS application form the school/s to which they have applied or intend to apply, and should supply an update on their field-school choices and status no later than February 1, 2010. Updated information may be emailed to fellowships@acls.org, with the subject heading “Field-School Application Update.” ACLS awards will be paid to awardees contingent on their acceptance at an approved field school.
Award: up to $7,000 plus travel allowance.
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Translation Grants will be awarded to scholars (including Ph.D. candidates) for translation of scholarly works of significant value to the field, from English into an East or Southeast Asian language, that fill a critical gap in East or Southeast Asian literature. Applicants should provide evidence of formal training or practical experience in translation. Proposed plans of work should include residence at an institution at which the translator can consult with the author of the original text or with a specialist in the field who works primarily in the original text’s language. Funds will be available for a minimum residence of one academic semester.
Award: $20,000 for six months (amount reduced pro-rata for shorter tenure) plus travel allowance.
Selection Criteria
The selection committee will judge proposals on their intrinsic intellectual merit, the clarity and cogency with which they are presented, and the significance of their contribution to the field of East or Southeast Asian archaeology and early history. Especially encouraged are applications for projects and training that stimulate and enable international communication among scholars. Applications will be stronger if their workplans include mentoring and collaboration.
Application Forms, Grant Periods, and Deadlines
Application materials for this program are provided in .pdf format; you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader (available free of charge) if you do not already have it on your computer.
Applicants may propose work for a specific period that begins at any time from June 1, 2010 to September 1, 2011. Notifications will be sent in April 2010. Each application requires two letters of recommendation and one language evaluation from a person qualified to assess the applicant’s language ability.
To begin the application process, please print out the forms for Applicants from East and Southeast Asia.
Fully completed applications must be received by November 13, 2009. Applications should be sent to:
Grants for East and Southeast Asian Archaeology and Early History
American Council of Learned Societies
633 Third Avenue, 8th floor
New York, NY 10017-6795, USA
Applications must arrive by mail or courier service. Applications will not be accepted by fax or email. Applicants should send an email to fellowships@acls.org on the day they send their application materials to ACLS. Each applicant will receive email confirmation when their application is received at ACLS in New York.
General inquiries about the competition should be sent via email to the ACLS office in New York at fellowships@acls.org. Information about submitting applications is also available from ACLS offices in Beijing at atai@cscprc.org and Hanoi at edex@ceevn.org.
Printed versions of application forms are available by written request from ACLS-New York or from ACLS offices in Hanoi and Beijing.
Hanoi Office
Attn: Grants for East Asian Archaeology and Early History
Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam
CEEVN, ACLS
Nha so 5, Ngo 2
Pho Giang Van Minh
Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Tel: 84 4 723 6825 / 723 6826
Fax: 84 4 723 6827
Email: edex@ceevn.org
Beijing Office
Attn: Arthur Tai
Committee on Scholarly Communication with China
City Plaza Office Tower, Suite 16H
Shilipu, Chaoyang District
Beijing 100025 China
Tel: 86 10 6556-6322
Fax. 86 10 6556-2497
Email: atai@cscprc.org