Overview

The state of democracy, human rights, and free expression in many countries is increasingly influenced by interactions occurring in diaspora communities around the world. Places of migration and exile have become the site of vigorous contestation—and sometimes outright conflict—over policymaking, representation, discrimination, the limits of acceptable speech, and who merits membership in the national “community”.

Bard College and SOAS University of London are pleased to announce a new fellowship program designed to promote democracy and counteract the spread of authoritarianism and communalism within the Indian diaspora. The Bard/SOAS Fellowship will support individual practitioners from diverse backgrounds to serve as catalysts—coalition-builders, strategic communicators, high-level advocates, and influencers—in strengthening Indian diaspora communities as they face threats to civil society, democracy, and the rule of law.

Guidelines

• This one-year grant will support senior and emerging practitioners from a variety of fields, including, among others        

          --Business

        --Tech and Social Media

        --Journalism and Documentary Filmaking

        --Academic/Scholarly

        --Activist/NGO and Civil Society

        --The Arts, including film, television, music, etc.

        --Law and Justice

• Fellows will pursue their own projects addressing the theme of the fellowship. In addition, they will be supported to collaborate with other members of the cohort in ways that advance the larger objective of promoting free speech and democracy in India and the diaspora. Though the fellowship is non-residential, fellows will be expected to meet with the cohort several times during their term. (Travel expenses are covered by the grant).

• Fellowship applicants will be reviewed and selected in two tracks: Senior Practitioners and Rising Stars, based on their level of experience. Senior Practitioners will be expected to have at least a decade of relevant experience—if not considerably more—while Rising Stars will be selected on the basis of their recent work and potential for future achievement.

• Grants will come with a living stipend ($100,000 for Senior Practitioners and $60,000 for Rising Stars, based on full-time work), as well as a research budget of up to $20,000.

• Joint applications and applications for, at least, half time will also be considered (with pro-rated budget and stipend).

• The Fellowship will be administered by the South Asia Institute at SOAS and the Human Rights Project at Bard College.

• The application window will be open until December 15, 2023.

Application Instructions

For more information

Applicants for the fellowship will be asked to submit a cv, cover letter, and a project proposal of up to 1,000 words, which includes a brief budget describing expected travel costs. Joint applications and applications for, at least, half time will also be considered (with pro-rated budget and stipend). All applications will be treated confidentially during the review and selection process.

Inquiries for the SOAS/Bard Diaspora Fello/wship can be sent to:  diasporafellows@bard.edu