Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Humanities
"Time, Rhythm and Pace"
The Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI) at the University of Toronto is pleased to announce Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships designed to provide financial and intellectual support for outstanding scholars at the beginning of their professional careers. Four Fellows in the Humanities will be selected for a two-year fellowship in the JHI. Fellows will be selected on the basis of accomplishment appropriate to their stage in their career, the promise of excellence and the relevance of their research to the annual theme.
The JHI interprets "Humanities" as a broad category, including political theory, interpretative social science, music, and the arts.
The theme for 2016–2017 is
TIME, RHYTHM, AND PACE
The modern experience of time is often characterized by its “increasing speed,” its linearity, and its emphasis on “now.” But time does not have to be regarded as the flight of an arrow, a race track, or a forking path. If we consider the body, the planet, or the longue durée of history, it becomes clear that rhythm, cycle, pace, and temporality pervade the human condition, now as they have always done. Occurring at multiple scales (neuronal firing, diurnal habits, menses, calendars, life cycles, the rise and fall of civilizations), rhythm is concrete, existential, and profound. How do rhythm and cycle, rather than velocity, characterize human life? What are the politics of chronology? How can a deeper understanding of time, rhythm, and pace—from literary theorists, historians, phenomenologists, political scientists, and diverse other sectors of the academy—provide us with guidance in an increasingly frantic and fast-paced world?
The Fellows will pursue their individual research in the context of the JHI. They will have offices at the JHI and will participate in weekly seminars and other activities in the circle of fellows. In addition, each postdoctoral fellow will be affiliated with a Department and will teach one course in each Fall and Winter term of their two-year Fellowship. The Fellowship provides an annual $50,000 Canadian stipend.
Eligibility
- Applicants must have completed their degree within three years of the beginning of the fellowship (1 July 2016). Applicants who will defend their thesis before 1 May 2016 are eligible, but a letter from their supervisor or Chair may be requested. Any award will be conditional on a successful defense.
- Applicants who received their Ph.D. prior to 1 July 2013 are ineligible.
- Degree candidates and recipients of the Ph.D. from the University of Toronto are ineligible.
- Fellowships are open to citizens of all states.
