I Tatti will offer two residential Fellowships during the 2024-2025 academic year for scholars from African nations whose work examines exchanges within and between the African continent and the wider Mediterranean world during the early modern period (14th – 17th centuries). Designed for scholars working on African artistic and architectural material (including those working in archaeology and anthropology) and made possible by a generous grant from the Getty Foundation, the fellowships seek to create and promote collaboration between scholars working in African institutions and those working in European and North American institutions. Projects will explore the reception of antiquity in the modern era (a major topic for the African countries that had been part of the Roman empire) and the reception and impact of artworks, crafts and practices of the early modern period created within the Eurafrica space on the modern and contemporary world. We are particularly interested in projects that connect the visual and material histories of Sub-Saharan Africa with those of Italy, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, broadly conceived. Based at I Tatti, the two Fellows will be embedded in a stimulating interdisciplinary milieu of scholars whose work is centered on the Mediterranean and Mediterranean cultures.
Applicants for the Fellowships must be nationals of African countries, with preference given to scholars based or connected to African universities, museums, and cultural institutions. Applicants must be fluent in either English, Italian, or French and have a PhD certificate in hand by the time they apply (and will be asked to upload a scan of it when submitting their application). Successful applicants will have a solid background in premodern Africa and its global exchanges. Candidates offered the Fellowships will spend a four-month or six-moth term in Florence at I Tatti with access to local and regional resources (libraries, photographic collections, archives, museums, collections). The Fellows will be expected to carry out original research on the topic for which they have been awarded their fellowship. Term Fellowships at I Tatti can be held only once and cannot be deferred. Term Fellowships are intended for scholars who have not previously held appointments at I Tatti (with the exception of Graduate Fellows).
The grant is USD 5,200 per month, plus a one-time supplement (maximum USD 1,500) towards relocation expenses. In light of the residential nature of the fellowship, Fellows must live in the Florence area and spend at least three days a week at the center. When possible, an apartment will be set aside for the Fellow’s use, rent free, but with charges for utilities. If an apartment is not available, a housing subsidy will be offered to help offset rental costs.
https://itatti.harvard.edu/black-mediterranean-fellowship
Applications must be written in English and must be submitted electronically by midnight (Cambridge, MA time) on November 15, 2023. Scholars can apply to only one type of fellowship at I Tatti per academic year.
