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African Humanities Program Scholarships for African Students

The African Humanities Program (AHP) Fellowships Program

Course(s) Offered: Humanities & related fields
Course Level: Graduate (PhD, postdoc, fellowships)
Provider: ACLS / Carnegie Corporation of New York
Country to Study in: 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:
  • Applicants must be nationals and residents of a country in sub-Saharan Africa, with a current affiliation at an institution in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda.
  • Funding is available for dissertation completion and for postdoctoral research and writing.
  • Applicants for Dissertation-Completion Fellowships should be in the final year of writing the dissertation at a university in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, or Uganda.
  • Dissertation-Completion Fellowships are not available in South Africa.
  • Applicants for Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowships must be working in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, or Uganda and must have completed the Ph.D. no more than eight years ago.
  • Projects must be in the humanities and must be carried out in sub-Saharan Africa. AHP fellowships may not be used for travel outside the continent.
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), 
  • Nigeria (University of Ibadan, Bayero University Kano, and Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria),
  • 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),
  • Tanzania (the University of Dar es Salaam), and
  • 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 forty (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.

PLEASE NOTE:
Applicants will be notified of competition results in May 2015.

Application Deadline: 1 November 2014
Open to International Applicants: No (ONLY Africans as above)

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: Arts & Humanities Scholarships for Africans & International Students