NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Poetics 2027-2028

Description

The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry is pleased to open applications for our NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Poetics. This longstanding fellowship reflects the importance of Emory’s Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, part of the Stuart A. Rose Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Book Library, as a center for research in poetry. We are especially eager to support research projects which make use of Emory University's archival holdings in poetry.

We invite applications from scholars who are eager to be part of a community engaged in interdisciplinary conversations around our theme of Humanities Plural. (See below.) Research projects do not need to address the theme directly, but applicants should briefly address how the project relates to significant methodological, theoretical, or conceptual issues in the humanities. (For example, a project in an established scholarly tradition could make a case for the importance of carrying that tradition forward within the current humanities landscape; a project in an emerging area of scholarship could share some thoughts about interdisciplinarity or new methods.)

The Fox Center will appoint one NEH Postdoctoral Fellow in Poetics for the academic year 2027-28. The appointment will be for one year (August 1, 2027-July 31, 2028), with the possibility of renewal for one additional year. The fellowship includes a stipend of $62,000, a research budget of $2,000, and a one-time additional payment of $2,000 to defray the costs associated with moving to Atlanta. Fellows are eligible for a wide range of competitive benefits, including dental and vision care, and are required to be in residence for the term of the fellowship.

All postdoctoral fellows participate in a weekly interdisciplinary seminar, presenting their research at one of these meetings, and teach one undergraduate class in their area of expertise in the College of Arts and Sciences. If invited to continue for a second year, fellows will have additional teaching responsibilities and will receive teaching mentorship from Emory faculty in a relevant discipline.

The application deadline for applicants to submit their materials is December 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. The deadline for receipt of letters of recommendation is December 11, 2026, at 11.59 PM ET.

Humanities Plural

At a moment when fields such as "history of the humanities" and "humanities theory" are coming into view, and as hybrid formations such as digital humanities, health humanities, and public humanities are taking humanities scholarship into new academic and extra-academic spaces, we seek to expand our horizons for thinking about the humanities as they have existed or are unfolding in our current moment. The questions we hope to address in our shared discussions and programming include: What are the contexts, across time and space, where humanistic learning occurs and matters (e.g., formal or informal academic settings, places of worship, prisons, online spaces, museums)? Where is humanistic scholarship enlisted into serving other systems of knowledge and value (e.g., medical schools, think tanks, revolutionary movements, corporate boardrooms), and what sorts of work is it asked to do there? Which communities have forged programs or practices of humanistic learning without having access to formal or elite institutional structures? What are the distinct methods, epistemologies, aesthetics, and/or values that take shape in these sites? What gave rise to "theory," where and why has it taken root, and what is its future? And how do or should "the humanities" function in hybrid formations, for example in digital humanities, environmental humanities, or health humanities?

Qualifications

All postdoctoral fellows must hold a PhD (or its international equivalent, such as the DPhil). Applicants may not have received their doctorate before January 1, 2024. Preference will be given to applicants who have not held prior postdoctoral fellowships. Applicants applying without a degree in hand must have successfully completed all degree requirements by June 30, 2027. Scholars from outside the United States are appointed under either the J-1 visa (Research Scholar status) or F-1 OPT (Optional Practical Training), depending on their circumstances. The Fox Center reserves the right to cancel awards if the recipient is unable to meet these conditions of completion and visa status.

Application Instructions

To complete the online application, you will need to provide the following:

• Cover letter (2 pages maximum)
• Project description (1000 words maximum)
• Writing sample (20-25 pages)
• Syllabi for two undergraduate courses
• Curriculum vitae 
• E-mail information for three recommenders

Please note that as part of the University’s Interfolio system, each applicant is required