Africa: The Five College African Scholars Program

Summary:
The Five College African Scholars Residency Program
works to strengthen intellectual capacity in African
universities and to enrich Africa-focused scholarship
at the Five Colleges and internationally. It does so
by bringing junior and mid-level African scholars,
employed by and teaching in African universities and
with active research projects with an African focus,
for 5- and 10-month research residencies at Amherst
College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College,
Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts
Amherst, neighboring institutions associated in the
Five College Consortium centered in Amherst,
Massachusetts.

Program Requirements:
Residents will be expected to complete scholarly
projects aimed to result in publication. Each scholar
will be provided with a laptop computer, which s/he may
retain once the residency is complete, so as to sustain
subsequent contact by e-mail. Each scholar will be
hosted by one of the five institutions, which will
supply office space, telephone and web access, and
partnership with a local faculty sponsor. Each
resident will have access to library and other research
facilities at all five institutions. All residents
will participate in an interdisciplinary Residents
Research Seminar including fellow >residents and
Africanist faculty from the five colleges, and will be
expected to present their work to the seminar, which
will be conducted in English. Teaching is not a
requirement of the residency, although residents may be
invited as guest speakers in courses offered at the
five campuses.

Eligibility:
Eligibility for Residencies is limited to junior and
mid-level African scholars employed by and teaching at
African universities who intend to return to their
institutions in Africa upon completion of their
residencies. Academic leave authorization must be
certified by the applicant s home institution at the
time of application, as well as the right of the
Resident to return to his or her position upon
completion of the Residency. Applications are welcome
from scholars in all disciplines and may be comparative
in nature with an African focus. Applicants must submit
with their application a proposal describing a research
project to be completed during the residency term.
Interdisciplinary projects are encouraged. Note: We
will ask the US Immigration authorities to issue a J-1
visa for those whom we invite to be Residents. Please
be aware that current US immigration regulations
require that an individual who leaves the United
States, having been here on a J-1 visa, may not return
under another J-1 visa until twelve months have
elapsed.

Timing:
The first residencies begin in January 2003 and the
program is expected to continue at least into 2007.

Application deadlines:

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! Residency ! Deadline !
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! January 1 - May 31 ! preceding June 1 !
! August 1 - December 31 ! preceding December 1!
! August 1 - May 31 ! preceding December 1!
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Support includes airfare to and from Africa, a monthly
stipend of $3,000, housing or a housing allowance, and
health insurance for Residents who meet the U.S.
Department of State requirements for J-1 exchange
visitors. Reimbursement of certain research expenses
(books, research materials, travel to conferences
within the United States, etc.) is also available up to
$600 for five-month Residencies and up to $1200 for
ten-month Residencies

The Five College African Scholars Residency Program is
generously supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and by the five colleges. The Program is
administered by the Five College African Studies

Council, representing 30 Africanists from a range of
fields at all five institutions. The Council sustains
an intensive collaboration, allowing the institutions
to combine the substantial resources available to
support African studies at each of the campuses.
Members of the Council edit the African Studies Review,
the principal journal of the African Studies
Association.

For more information and application details, go to the
African Scholars Program website at
http://www.fivecolleges.edu/asp/, or call, write, or
fax the program at:

Five College African Scholars Program
Herter Hall
University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003
USA
Telephone: 413/577-3778
Fax: 413/577-3781
E-mail: [email protected]