Mellon Foundation Global South Initiative

A major humanities initiative dedicated to the study of the Global South, funded by a transformative grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the University of Virginia's College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

Grant Amount:

• Mellon Foundation: $3.47 million
• University of Virginia match: $3.47 million
• Total initial five-year investment: ~$7 million

Duration: Five years (initial), with plans for expansion

Geographic Scope: University of Virginia; Global South regions studied include Africa, Latin America, South and East Asia, American South, Latino/Latina border zones, immigrant communities in Europe

Focus Areas - Geographic Regions:

• Africa
• Latin America
• South Asia
• East Asia
• American South
• Latino/Latina border zones
• Immigrant communities in European nations and cities

Focus Areas - Thematic:

• Connected histories and cultures
• Global histories of race, religion, empire, and diaspora
• Medical humanities
• Environmental humanities
• Development and built environment
• Global public health
• Biomedical ethics
• Narrative medicine
• Anthropology of trauma and post-traumatic stress

What the Grant Funds:

• Creation of new undergraduate and graduate courses
• New research initiatives
• Faculty hiring (10 tenure-track positions planned by 2020)
• Mellon Humanities Fellows program (supporting 50 faculty and graduate students)
• Humanities Laboratories focused on Global South
• Interdisciplinary curriculum development
• Faculty research support

Eligible Disciplines:

• History
• Literature
• Philosophy
• Art history
• Medical humanities
• Environmental humanities
• Architecture
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Anthropology
• Emerging interdisciplinary fields

Selection/Participation:

• Faculty and graduate students can participate in Mellon Humanities Fellows program
• Undergraduate and graduate students involved in Humanities Laboratories
• Cross-university collaboration encouraged

Goals:

• Open new areas of interdisciplinary inquiry
• Expand research and teaching initiatives
• Prepare students for engaged cosmopolitan citizenship
• Provide context for understanding global cultural perspectives
• Support curriculum revision in liberal arts education

Partnerships/Collaborations:

• U.Va. College of Arts & Sciences
• U.Va. Graduate School
• U.Va. Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures
• U.Va. School of Architecture
• U.Va. School of Medicine
• U.Va. School of Nursing

Key Leadership: Francesca Fiorani, Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities and Professor of Art History; Ian Baucom, Arts & Sciences Dean

Background: Grant awarded at pivotal time as College undertakes major revision of undergraduate curriculum emphasizing liberal arts education and global perspectives

Mellon Humanities Fellows Program

Participation:

• Faculty members can apply or be recruited
• Graduate students can apply or be nominated
• Approximately 50 fellows will be supported

Support Provided:

• Research funding
• Course development support
• Collaboration and networking opportunities

Humanities Laboratories

Format:

• Thematic workshops and working groups
• Focused on Global South topics
• Bring together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates

Participation:

• Faculty recruitment
• Graduate student involvement
• Undergraduate student participation

Faculty Hiring

Timeline: 10 tenure-track positions to be hired by 2020

Qualifications:

• Experts in their fields
• Ability to relate to scholars beyond their disciplines
• Interdisciplinary orientation