African Humanities Program Scholarships for African Students

Course: Humanities & related fields
Level: Graduate (PhD, postdoc, fellowships)
Provider: ACLS / Carnegie Corporation of New York
For Which Country: Africa

Scholarship Description: The African Humanities Program (AHP) seeks to revitalize the humanities in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda through fellowship competitions and meetings associated with them.

Through the activities of the African Humanities Program, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) promotes local and international cooperation among humanities scholars at all stages of career, with the aim of developing a self-sustaining continent-wide network of African humanities scholars. 

The African Humanities Program is inspired by a commitment to the humanities as a core component of higher education and research in Africa, essential to progress and development. The AHP is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), with financial support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, announces competitions yearly for the AHP. 

Eligibility: Fellowship Details:

Eligible groups: Citizens and residents of a country in sub-Saharan Africa

Participating Institutions: Any recognized institution in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda.

The AHP organizes meetings in Africa in cooperation with host institutions to publicize the fellowship program and to discuss new trends in humanities research. In the past three years of the program, meetings were held at universities in Ghana (University of Ghana-Legon), in Nigeria (University of Ibadan, Bayero University Kano, and Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria), in South Africa (University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg in Johannesburg, the East London campus of Ft. Hare University, the University of the Western Cape and University of Cape Town in Cape Town), in Tanzania (the University of Dar es Salaam), and in Uganda (Makerere University in Kampala). 

Fields of study: The ACLS defines the humanities as the study of human cultures, languages, and histories through the use of qualitative approaches. Among the disciplines contributing to humanities scholarship are anthropology, archaeology, history, studies of the fine and performing arts, musicology, languages and linguistics, literature studies, religious studies, and philosophy.

Number of awards: Approximately 40 fellowships will be awarded annually

Sponsorship duration: Whole duration of program

Scholarship benefits: Stipends are $9,000 for dissertations and $16,000 for postdoctoral work.
Fellowship awards to promising African scholars are the centerpiece of the African Humanities Program. An initiative to publish the best manuscripts produced under the terms of AHP fellowships is now being established. All fellows will be encouraged to submit their completed manuscripts to the African Humanities Series, which will be a cooperative venture between AHP and a major African university press.

Method of Application: ACLS encourages the submission of applications via email. Application forms and instructions are available on the ACLS website. Application can be submitted by email to ahp@acls.org or mailed to the ACLS New York offices.

For further details on eligibility, submission of applications, and selection criteria, see the current ‘Competition Announcement (PDF document)’ as well as ‘Instructions and Application materials’ on the official website (link to it is below).

DEADLINES: Completed applications must be submitted by the announced deadline date, which is usually November 1st of each year. Deadline date for the previous year (2012/2013) program was extended to November 15, 2012.

Please note: Applicants will be notified of competition results in May 2014.

Application Deadline: 1 November, 2013

Open to International Applicants: No (ONLY Africans as above)