Gest Fellowships
|
The Haverford College Quaker
Collection offers three one-month, $2,000 fellowships to researchers interested
in exploring the connections and relationships between various ways of expressing
religious belief in the world.
Through a cooperative
arrangement with the McNeil Center for Early American Studies (MCEAS),
a consortium of ten Philadelphia-area institutions, Haverford’s
Gest Fellows will have access to the twice-monthly seminars sponsored
by the MCEAS, and to the eastern-seaboard network of scholars who regularly
participate in these seminars.
The Fellowship
The Quaker Collection at Haverford College is a center for
research on many aspects of religious and social history. Since Friends
have actively taken their religious convictions into many areas of public
life, this collection, opened in 1833 and consisting of some 35,000 printed
volumes and 300,000 manuscripts, has grown to be a rich resource.
We invite applications from researchers at various stages in their careers and from any discipline. The most competitive applications will creatively explore concerns to which Friends have historically turned their attention, including literature, mysticism, women's issues, family history, race relations, and American Indian affairs, as well as religious doctrine and controversies. Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- demonstrated understanding of the applicability
of our particular holdings to the anticipated project.
- probability that the project will result in a product
that will advance the worlds’ understanding of the multiple dimensions
of religion.
- evidence of the applicant’s prior familiarity
with and effective use of similar collections.
Research may be conducted from July 1, 2009 to January
31, 2010 unless circumstances require special scheduling. Gest fellows
must complete the residency and use the funds by April of the following
year; i.e., within twelve months of the award. A list
of the topics of past and current Gest fellows is available.
How to Apply
By February 2, 2009 (postmark), the following materials
are due to the Gest Fellowship Committee, Quaker Collection, Haverford
College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041:
- A three-to-five page statement of research goals,
including what progress has been made to date; a statement of how this
project will benefit the scholarly or activist community with which
it intersects, an assessment of how Haverford’s materials can
further its progress, and an estimate of when the project is expected
to be completed.
- A current vita or resume.
- A writing sample if background does not include
published work.
- Three letters of recommendation from individuals
who are familiar with both the field in which the applicant proposes
to work, and with the applicant’s work. (Reference letters must
also be postmarked by the February 2 deadline). Please
include their names and contact information in the application materials.
- Permanent and any temporary addresses and phone
numbers.
Applicants will be notified on April 1, 2009 of
the results.
Please feel free to contact John Anderies with your questions:
email: janderie@haverford.edu phone: 610-896-2948 |
