ARCE Research Fellowship (CAORC funded) Application Guidelines

Fields of Study: Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Art History, Comparative Literature, Coptic Studies, Economics, Egyptology, Ethnomusicology, Gender Studies, History, Humanistic Social Sciences, Islamic Studies, Literature, Music, Political Science, and Religious Studies.

Eligibility for funding through the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) from the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the US State Department (ECA):

• Applicant must be an American citizen
• Applicants may be ABD doctoral candidates, postdoctoral, faculty or independent scholars – defined as someone holding a PhD or another terminal degree who may not affiliated with an academic or other institution on a temporary or permanent basis
• Funding available for 3-12 continuous months in Egypt
• Former fellows must wait 5 years before applying for an ARCE fellowship
• Former fellows must wait 10 years to reapply if they completed the fellowship but did not submit a final report, which is a fellowship requirement

The Application:  A completed Research Fellowship application consists of the following components:

• An online application form
• Two letters of recommendation are required for all applicants. All applicants will be best served by referrers who are fully aware of your knowledge, experience, and capacity to successfully engage in research in Egypt.
• If you are a dissertation scholar, your proposed project should be addressed by both referrers, one of whom is preferably your advisor, as the scholar who presumably knows your project the best; additionally, at least one referrer should specifically address your language skills.
• Graduate transcripts for pre-doctoral applicants. Please remove all password protections from transcripts prior to submission.

A 1500-word research proposal that:

• Describes your intended research
• Describes your research methodology(ies)
• Demonstrates the need to consult sources in Egypt
• Explains the scholarly significance of your research and your qualifications to undertake the research
• Assesses the feasibility of completing your research within the proposed timeframe
• Describes the final publication format (dissertation, book, chapter, etc.) of your research

Ministry Security Forms:

• Antiquities applicants:
  • Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities security form
  • Passport style photograph with white background
  • One-page CV
• Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) All other applicants:
  • Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) security form (Arabic)
  • Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) application form (English)
  • 100–200-word Arabic abstract describing the proposed research (uploaded as a PDF document). Keep the language simple and do not use academic jargon.

ARCE Scholar in Residence:  In addition to conducting his/her own research, the Scholar-in-Residence agrees to advise junior scholars and may recommend and assist in organizing a workshop, conference, or other scholarly activity in consultation with the ARCE Executive Director. An additional modest per diem is available for the Scholar-in-Residence for these concurrent duties. Interested and qualified candidates may indicate their interest on the ARCE fellowship application for the period corresponding to their ARCE fellowship. The Fellowship Selection Committee will make recommendations to the ARCE Deputy Director for Research and Programs, who makes the final selection.

Faculty and senior scholars interested in serving as the ARCE Scholar-in-Residence should indicate your interest on the application. Duties include mentoring Fellows new to the field or to Egypt. The residency is concurrent with the fellowship and offers a modest $300 honorarium per month.

MoTA-affiliated applicants:  Fellowships are not intended to support participation on an expedition as an expedition member. It is possible for you to associate with an expedition to access research materials in an expedition storeroom or to conduct independent research at an expedition site. If this describes your research, please contact Academic Programs Manager Djodi Deutsch, prior to submitting your application fellows@arce.org to determine its acceptability under the ARCE guidelines.

Important Note: All scholars conducting research with ARCE’s administrative or financial support require security clearance from the Egyptian government. If your research relies on interviews, public observation, questionnaires, participant observation, visual anthropology, or attending public events or if your research focuses on the military, religious movements, civilian-military relations, or politics in the current century it is unlikely you will gain clearance. Applicants should consult the Academic Programs Manager Djodi Deutsch, prior to completing your application if any of those scenarios applies to you.

An independent scholar is defined as someone holding a PhD or another terminal degree who may not be affiliated with an academic or other institution on a temporary or permanent basis.

Application Deadline: January 15th, 2023 11:59 PM PST.

Apply here