Interdisciplinary PhD Fellowship in Indigenous Studies: Applications Open for 2022

The Departments of Anthropology, Art, and Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, in collaboration with the Graduate School of the College of Arts & Sciences, are thrilled to announce that applications are now open for UVA's Interdisciplinary Fellowship in Indigenous Studies (2022-2027). Students may apply from any degree program in Arts & Sciences. Please read below for an overview of the fellowship, mentorship, research, and professional development support, application information, and contacts.

 

Native American and Indigenous knowledge systems do not readily conform to disciplinary boundaries. Indigenous epistemologies, practices, belief systems, and ways of being in the world move within and across humanistic, social scientific, and scientific divides. Indigenous Studies, then, is more than an inter- or cross-disciplinary field: it is a methodological framework that grounds research in the protocols of place acknowledgement and researcher positionality by asking the fundamental question, “Where are we?” (Warrior 2014).

 

Fellows in the Indigenous Studies PhD cohort develop research expertise in their departments and work through diverse ways of knowing – ultimately, perhaps, challenging the foundations of their disciplines. Students can join existing initiatives and propose new projects in areas like Indigenous data collection, curation, and sovereignty (Anthropology; Data Science; Library); Indigenous arts, languages, and landscapes (Art and Architectural History; Global Development Studies; Linguistics; Museums; Music); Indigenous science, technology, and sustainability (Anthropology, Architecture, Spanish); and community-centered research (Equity Center; Democracy Initiative). Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the faculty members below; they will be glad to direct you to individuals in an extensive network of faculty mentors, curators, and community members in Native North American and global Indigenous Studies.

 

Students in the cohort will take a 3-credit course introducing them to Indigenous Studies and outlining the major methodologies used by scholars in the field. A one-credit lab practicum, led by experts from the UVA Library, will familiarize students with the historiographic, theoretical and interpretive methods that have shaped the field of Indigenous Studies. (Year 1)

 

Fellows will have the opportunity to conduct independent research and co-author with faculty on research in projects sponsored by the Spatial Technologies Lab in Anthropology, Race, Religion, and Democracy Lab, relevant labs in the Institute of Global Humanities and Cultures, and Rare Book School’s Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage. Fellows will be supported in their applications for internships at research and community outreach institutions like the Smithsonian (e.g., Mother Tongue Film Festival, National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of Natural History), Fralin Museum of Art (supervising undergraduate interns in the Museum Internship Program), Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, and the Library of Congress. This will give fellows the opportunity to expand their own research interests and build professional networks. (Years 1-3)

 

In coordination with the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation and Fine Arts Library R-Lab, fellows will attend and organize informal brown-bag presentations by graduate students, faculty, and community leaders, both locally and globally, in-person or by Zoom. (Years 1-5)

 

In addition to their research stipends, fellows will receive funds to present in conferences at least twice during their fellowship. (Years 2-5)

 

Fellows will organize a set of graduate student conferences at UVA. The topics will vary and will be organized in coordination with the faculty mentors. Fellows will determine if their events are public-facing, academic, or a combination of the two. It is expected that the cohort will organize at least two events during the fellowship. These events will provide fellows with the opportunity to disseminate their own research, as well as gain experience in conference organization and events management as part of their professional development. (Years 3-4)

 

The Interdisciplinary PhD Fellowship at UVA works with and across departments to address issues of ethical urgency and prepare students in emerging research areas for diverse career paths. Fellows are encouraged to participate in professional development programs supported by PhD+, Center for Teaching Excellence, and working groups in their research areas (IHGC, Democracy Initiative). Cohorts are intentionally small, typically around 3-4 students per year, to provide students with maximum resources from faculty and staff. Each student receives a $6,000 research stipend in addition to their funding package from their department, as well as access to their program’s mentoring resources, research networks, and supportive intellectual community. For more information on IDF programs, please click here: https://graduate.as.virginia.edu/interdisciplinary-doctoral-fellowship or contact the co-directors, below. To begin your application, please click here: https://applycentral.virginia.edu/apply/.