Application deadline: January 15, 2006

Cultural heritage is today a rubric of ever-expanding scope. It is used globally as abasis for multinational, national, state, and local programs and governance. Culturalheritage is also the focus of ideas and programs generated by hundreds of non-governmental organizations, community-based and advocacy groups, and evenbusinesses. Yet the concept of ‘cultural heritage’ is vastly under-theorized. It haslacked an academic, disciplinary base; has generated only an attenuated theoreticalliterature; and has generally left the bearers of cultural heritage out of thediscussion.

Rockefeller Foundation Humanities Fellows at the Smithsonian Institution Center forFolklife and Cultural Heritage help refine the theoretical framework for culturalheritage and expand it to include grassroots voices. Reflecting the perspectives ofacademic specialists, civil society groups, and public cultural organizations, fellows’ work informs dialogues and practice across social, political, and disciplinaryboundaries, as well as indicating future directions for policy.

The Smithsonian hosts six to eight fellows for each of three years to work on thetheoretical development of the concept of cultural heritage. Fellows examined therelationship between cultural heritage and political representation (2004-05) and theeconomics of cultural heritage (2005-06); the third year of the program (2006-07)concentrates on the arts. The fellows are humanities-oriented thinkers andpractitioners engaged in the work of academic institutions, public organizations, andcultural communities.

Applicants for 2006-07 will be interested in developing ideas, principles, andframeworks for understanding the artistic dimension of cultural heritage. Keeping inmind the concern with grassroots cultural communities, applicants will focus theircritical inquiry on such issues as community recognition of or support for art (visual,language, music, dance, architecture) as heritage; the relationship between individual or group agency and local or national tradition; the relationship betweenthe institutional contexts of cultural heritage and its form and content; and how artreflects and articulates social identity. Applicants will demonstrate originality ofapproach and significant potential for making a contribution to the formulation ofcultural heritage policy and practice.

The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage - where cultural heritageis the subject of ongoing, daily intellectual and practical activity - hosts the fellows. Given the Center’s location in Washington, D.C., and its strong connections tointernational and national institutions, service organizations, and nongovernmentaland community groups, fellows partake of a rich environment and find colleaguesand cultural policymakers deeply interested in their work.

Applicants need not be U.S. citizens to be eligible, and approximately half of the fellows are drawn from outside the United States. Fellowships include a stipend and an allowance for travel to and from Washington, D.C., as necessary. Please note: These fellowships are not intended to support undergraduate or graduate studies, or research. Projects will not be considered for the re-writing of dissertations, editing of texts, or the preparation of textbooks or anthologies. Applicants whose native language is not English are expected to have a sufficiently good command of spoken English so that they can fully discuss, debate, and exchange ideas and practices about cultural heritage.

Application Process for 2006-07 Fellowships: Submit a letter of interest (not to exceed three pages), in English. This letter should outline the proposed work and how it will further the theoretical development of the concept of cultural heritage in relation to the arts. Applicants should attach a resume or C.V. and include the proposed dates of the residency. Based on letters of interest, a limited number of applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. Notifications should be sent by February 28, 2006. Full proposals will be due April 1.

Residency Term: Six weeks to five months, between September 1, 2006, and July 31, 2007.

More information
E-mail: culturalheritagefellows@si.edu
Web: www.folklife.si.edu