Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards 2022 for African Students in South African Universities

The African Critical Inquiry Programme is pleased to announce the 2022 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards to support African doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences enrolled at South African universities and conducting dissertation research on relevant topics. 

Application Deadline: 2nd May 2022

Eligible Countries: African countries

To Be Taken At (Country): South Africa

About the Award: The African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) seeks to advance inquiry and debate about the roles and practice of public culture, public cultural institutions and public scholarship in shaping identities and society in Africa. The ACIP is committed to collaboration between scholars and the makers of culture/history, fostering inquiry into the politics of knowledge production, the relationships between the colonial/apartheid and the postcolonial/postapartheid, and the importance of critical pluralism against nationalist discourse. ACIP is a partnership between the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape and the Laney Graduate School of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).

Funding is to be used for on-site dissertation research; research cannot be at the applicant’s home institution unless that institution has necessary site-specific research holdings not otherwise available to the applicant. Applicants who have completed significant funded dissertation research by the start of their proposed ACIP research may be ineligible to apply to extend research time. Eligibility will be at the discretion of the ACIP Selection Committee, depending on completed research time and funding. Please note that the Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards support dissertation research only and may not be used for dissertation write-up, tuition, study at other universities, conference participation, or to reimburse debts or expenses for research already completed. The programme does not accept applications from Ph.D. programmes in Law, Business, Medicine, Nursing, or Journalism, nor does it accept applications in doctoral programmes that do not lead to a Ph.D.

Type: Research

Eligibility:  

• The Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards are open to African postgraduate students (regardless of citizenship) in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.
• Applicants must be currently registered in a Ph.D. programme in a South African university and be working on topics related to ACIP’s focus.
• Awards will support doctoral research projects focused on topics such as institutions of public culture, particular aspects of museums and exhibitions, forms and practices of public scholarship, culture and communication, and the theories, histories and systems of thought that shape and illuminate public culture and public scholarship.
• Applicants must submit a dissertation proposal approved by their institution to confirm the award; this must be completed before they begin ACIP-supported on-site research or by December 2022, whichever comes first.

Selection Criteria: Selection will be based on the merit and strength of the application.

• Awards are open to proposals working with various methodologies in the humanities and humanistic social sciences, including research in archives and collections, fieldwork, interviews, surveys, and quantitative data collection.
• Applicants are expected to write in clear, intelligible prose for a selection committee that is multi-disciplinary and cross-regional.
• Proposals should show a thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theories, and methods in the applicant’s discipline and in other related fields and include a bibliography relevant to the research.
• Applicants should specify why an extended period of on-site research is essential to complete the proposed doctoral dissertation successfully.
• Guidance and advice on how to write a good proposal and budget can be found in the Resources section of the ACIP website (see Links in Program Webpage below)

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: Grant amounts vary depending on research plans, with a maximum award of ZAR 40,000.

How to Apply: To apply, eligible applicants should submit the following as a single file attachment with documents in the order listed:

• completed cover sheet (form below and online at end of application information at http://www.graduateschool.emory.edu/about/special/acip.html, under ACIP Opportunities)
• abstract of the proposed research project (250 words maximum)
• research proposal outlining the project’s goals, central questions, significance, and relevance for ACIP’s central concerns. Proposals should include a formulated, realistic research design and work plan responsive to the project’s theoretical and methodological concerns. Applicants should provide evidence of appropriate training to undertake the proposed research, including the language fluency necessary for the project. Proposals should be no longer than 5 pages; they should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins and a font no smaller than 11 points. Applications that do not follow this format will not be considered.
• bibliography of up to two additional pages
• project budget listing and justifying project expenses to be supported by the award
• your curriculum vitae
• current transcript
• two referee letters; one of these must be from your supervisor. Your referees should comment on your proposed project, its quality and significance, and your qualifications for undertaking it. They might also evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your project and how you and your work would benefit from receiving the research award. Referee letters should be submitted directly to the selection committee.

Closing date: Applications and referees’ letters must be received on or before Monday 3 May 2021. Incomplete applications and applications that do not conform to format guidelines will not be considered.

Please submit materials as a single file attachment with documents in the order listed above. Applications should be emailed with the heading “ACIP 2022 Research Award Application” to acip.uwc@gmail.com.

Visit Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: Supported by funding from the Ivan Karp and Corinne Kratz Fund