Mellon Foundation Global South Initiative

Mellon Foundation Global South Initiative

Overview: 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