The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announce the annual Abe Fellowship Program competition. The Program is one of the central components of CGP and is named after the late Mr. Shintaro Abe, former Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, who proposed in 1990 to establish the Center.
The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics. Applications are welcome from scholars and non-academic research professionals. Funding for the program is provided by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
The Abe Fellowship Research AgendaApplicants are invited to submit proposals for research in the social sciences or the humanities relevant to any one or combination of the following three themes: (1) global issues, (2) problems common to industrial and industrializing societies, and (3) issues that pertain to US-Japan relations.
Policy-Relevant, Contemporary, and Comparative or Transnational ResearchRather than seeking to promote greater understanding of a single country, the Abe Fellowship Program encourages research on the experiences and future challenges of the US and Japan in a comparative or global perspective. The Abe Fellowship Program Committee seeks applications for research focusing explicitly on policy-relevant and contemporary issues that have a comparative or transnational perspective and that draw the study of the US and Japan into wider disciplinary or theoretical debates.
Fellowship TermsTerms of the Fellowship are flexible and are designed to meet the needs of Japanese and American researchers at different stages in their careers. The program provides Abe Fellows with a minimum of 3 and maximum of 12 months of full-time support over a 24 month period. Fellowship tenure may begin between April 1 and December 31 of a given year. Fellowship tenure need not be continuous, but must be concluded within 24 months of activation of the Fellowship. Candidates should propose to spend at least one-third of the Fellowship tenure in residence abroad in Japan or the United States. Proposals may also include periods of research in other countries.
Eligibility* This competition is open to citizens of the United States and Japan as well as to nationals of other countries who can demonstrate strong and serious long-term affiliations with research communities in Japan or the United States.
* Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or the terminal degree in their field, or have attained an equivalent level of professional experience. Applications from researchers in professions other than academia are encouraged.
* Previous language training is not a prerequisite for this Fellowship. However, if the research project requires language ability, the applicant should provide evidence of adequate proficiency to complete the project.
* Projects proposing to address key policy issues or seeking to develop a concrete policy proposal must reflect non-partisan positions.
Further Information and ApplicationsApplications must be submitted online at http://applications.ssrc.org. The 2005 online application will be available after May 2, 2005. The deadline for receipt of applications is September 1, 2005. For further information, please visit www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe/ or contact the program directly by email at abe@ssrc.org.
In the US:Abe Fellowship Program
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
USA
Email: abe@ssrc.org
Tel: 212 377-2700
Fax: 212 377-2727
www.ssrc.org In Japan:
Abe Fellowship Program
c/o Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership Ark Mori Building, 21F
1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku
Tokyo 107-6021
Japan
Email: ssrcABE@gol.com
Tel: 03-5562-3506
Fax: 03-5562-3504
This is the grant that I received to do my research in Japan. It's fairly rare for anthropologists to receive it and it's usually reserved for more advanced scholars or researchers, but I'd strongly recommend that more ethnographers apply for it. It's a very generous grant and I've greatly enjoyed the year in Japan that it has funded.