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Early career scholars and advanced graduate students are invited to apply to join an international team of scholars committed to developing a research program and model for inclusive collaborative work in the environmental humanities around the theme of Climate Justice and Problems of Scale.

Climate Justice and Problems of Scale is a Global Humanities Institute (GHI) supported by the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. CHCI is working to advance multiple forms of international, collaborative research designed to foster new knowledge and new networks; its members include humanities centers at colleges and universities, independent scholarly societies, research libraries, and other institutes of advanced study. CHCI launched the first Global Humanities Institute in 2017.

This CHCI / Mellon Global Humanities Institute is a partnership involving six universities: the University of Texas at Austin (USA), the University of Pretoria (South Africa), the University of Sydney (Australia), the American University of Beirut (Lebanon), Arizona State University (USA), and Carnegie Mellon University (USA).

The overarching goal of this Global Humanities Institute is to build on the interdisciplinary scalar turn to generate more nuanced and holistic understandings of the relationship between the effects of climate change and the intensification of injustices in the social, cultural, and political spheres. Our inquiry will be organized according to three strands: Conceptualizing Scale for a Changing Climate, Climate In/Justice on the Ground, and Futures of Climate Justice. Early career scholars whose research fit into one or more of the themes are invited to submit an application.

An interdisciplinary group of participants will develop and share research and creative work concerning how matters of scale shape understandings and experiences of climate change; help us identify the sources and attributes of climate injustice; and impede and facilitate collective action to mitigate climate change, more evenly distribute impacts of climate disruption, and work towards climate justice.

From July 29 through August 7, 2022, investigative teams from the six partnering universities will gather in Pretoria, South Africa, for an eight-day Institute addressing Climate Justice and Problems of Scale. Sessions will address the theme of the Institute using a broad range of perspectives and methodologies. The Institute will consist of plenary lectures, workshops, site visits, and artistic events. Early career scholars will receive mentoring from senior scholars. The working language for the Institute will primarily be English.

We invite applications from Early Career Scholars based in a range of humanities disciplines including, but not limited to, environmental humanities, anthropology, audio-visual arts, creative and performing arts, cultural studies, digital humanities, Indigenous and ethnic studies, film studies, gender studies, geography, health humanities, history, law, literature, peace studies, philosophy, and religious studies.

We hope to inspire a global network of early-career researchers invested in the theme of the institute who will then remain in communication and collaborate with each other into the future. We are committed to assembling a diverse and inclusive community. To that end, we especially encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups and the Global South.

Application Requirements: An applicant must be either an advanced graduate student (in or near candidacy) or within ten years of receiving a Ph.D. (and, if working at a university with a tenure system, non-tenured). The competition is open to anyone from anywhere in the world whose universities are affiliated with CHCI. (Interested scholars from universities not currently affiliated with CHCI are encouraged to inquire into possibilities of institutional affiliation.)

Successful applicants will have their travel to, accommodation, and food at the Institute fully funded, with the expectation that they will participate actively in the Institute. They must commit to engage in and contribute to every aspect of the Institute, attending all sessions throughout the entire Institute. Participants who are not able to travel to South Africa will be expected to participate in all activities that are accessible virtually and will receive a modest per diem.

Applications have three components: (1) a statement of no more than five hundred (500) words that demonstrates a sustained interest in the themes of the Institute; (2) a CV of no more than three pages; and (3) either a brief travel budget so that we can estimate aggregate cost or a statement that expresses a preference for virtual participation.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and should be submitted as soon as possible. The deadline for submission is June 15. Applications should be submitted to Dr. Pauline Strong, Director of the University of Texas Humanities Institute. Please put “Climate Justice GHI 2022 Application” in the subject line of your email and send it to pstrong@utexas.edu. Questions may be submitted to the same email address.