About Roots 2009
Roots 2009: African Dimensions of the History and Culture of the Americas (Through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade)
Sponsored By:
“Roots 2009: Researching the African Dimensions of the History and Culture of the Americas (Through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade)”, a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers, will be held at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH), Charlottesville, Virginia, from June 8 through July 10, 2009 (5 weeks). The director of the seminar is Joseph C. Miller (T. Cary Johnson, Jr. Professor of History at the University of Virginia). Participants will include 15 specialists from all over the United States – from professional backgrounds in North America, the Caribbean, the central and southern Americas (the Spanish colonies, as well as Brazil), and Africa (western and central, at least) – with research projects involving early Atlantic history, literature, or culture up to and including the early nineteenth century.
Applicants may be teachers of American undergraduates in two- or four-year colleges or comprehensive or research universities. Qualified independent scholars and professionals employed by museums, libraries, historical societies, and other organizations may be eligible, provided they can effectively advance the research and teaching goals of the seminar. Applicants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. NEH guidelines accord preference to applicants who have not participated in NEH-supported seminars or institutes within the last three years or who would significantly contribute to the diversity of the group assembled.
Please see the section on eligibility and application procedures for additional details. Completed applications (ORIGINAL AND THREE COPIES-- no faxed single copies, no e-mailed attachments) must be post marked no later than March 2, 2009, and should be addressed to the director at the VFH, 145 Ednam Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-4629. All applicants will be informed on April 1of the decision of a selection committee, and invited participants will have until April 15 to notify the director of their acceptance of the offer of a place in the Seminar. For further information, contact the director at the address above or by e-mail; fax: (434) 296-4714; or phone (434) 924-6395.
Participants will receive a stipend of $3,800, intended to contribute to travel and living expenses, books, and other research expenses, for the 5-week period. The Seminar will have half of participants’ stipends available upon arrival, with the second half provided at the start of the Seminar’s third week. The NEH does not adjust stipends to cover the actual expenses incurred by participants; any participant who, for whatever reason, does not complete the full tenure of the project will be required to refund the applicable pro-rata portion of the stipend to the NEH.
