Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies

Reimagining the Field of China Studies in the US and Canada

With the encouragement and guidance of the Henry Luce Foundation, ACLS has conducted a series of strategic planning activities to reassess and reconfigure the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies.  After surveying and convening scholars at all ranks, higher education leaders, journalists, librarians, curators, and other readers of research and writing on China, we have re-imagined our program to meet the needs of China studies in the 21st century.

Program Goals

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

  1. To shift the standard for China studies as a field to be more capacious and inclusive, both in terms of research funded (from multidisciplinary and multimethod approaches to Sinophone/graph studies and Global China) and support for a wider diversity of scholars and institutions.
  2. To foster and sustain publicly engaged, creative, and responsive scholarship that will inform public understanding of cultures, histories, and societies in China and their influence and impact on communities, countries, and cultures around the world.
  3. To initiate effective strategies for long-term change, through collaborative working groups and network- and community-building activities.

Fellowships and Grants

In 2023-24, ACLS is offering fellowships and grants to support research, writing, and publicly engaged and creative scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. There are no restrictions regarding methodological approach or time period.

  • New grant competitions:
    • Travel grants for graduate students and contingent faculty or non-tenured faculty at any career stage. Grants are $5,000 for travel at any time during a 12-month period.
    • Collaborative grants to implement pilot programs or develop resources in response to pressing challenges in the field. Coming soon!
  • Continuing fellowship competitions:
    • Flexible, short-term fellowships for early career scholars.
    • Long-term research fellowships for early career scholars that will enable recent PhDs (without tenure and within eight years of the PhD) to take leaves from university responsibilities for four to nine months to carry out research and writing towards a scholarly text. The minimum stipend is $20,000 and the maximum is $45,000.

Awards are financially supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, with long-term fellowships made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.

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 – from media and outreach to engaged research, teaching, and public programming.

Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in a public writing workshop in 2024 and 2025. Learn more about publicly engaged humanities at Humanities for All.

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 is broadly inclusive of different backgrounds, cultures, and any aspects that make one unique. In China studies we seek balance in regard to national origin, educational background, and current university affiliation, as well as in disciplinary approaches, topics, and historical periods studied.

Opportunities & Deadlines

Name Type Due
Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowships in China Studies – Flexible Fellowship

November 16, 2023
Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowships in China Studies – Long-Term Fellowship

November 16, 2023
Luce/ACLS Travel Grants in China Studies Grant

November 16, 2023
Luce/ACLS China Studies Collaborative Grants Grant

May 2024 – More information coming soon!
Learn more about recent awardees

Related News & Events

New Report: China Studies in North America

This report summarizes the Group’s findings and reflections, with a focus on the specific challenges involved in the production of new knowledge on China and on the obstacles faced by the emerging generation of PhDs.

News Article
December 14, 2021