NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON — Dumbarton Oaks, a research institute of Harvard University, and JSTOR, the digital library for research and teaching that is part of the nonprofit ITHAKA, are pleased to welcome four Plant Humanities Fellows supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Offered for the first time this year, the fellowships enable emerging scholars to shape a bold new initiative integrating science, art, history, and the digital humanities.
The Plant Humanities Initiative explores the cultural histories, travels, and influence of plants through the lens of special collections. Fellows join an intergenerational team working to expand the field of Plant Humanities through investigation of rare books and manuscripts, herbaria specimens, online resources such as JSTOR Global Plants, and scholarly literature. The team will develop a digital tool to interpret and contextualize these materials through narrative and mapping means, with the aim of engaging teachers, students, and the public.
“The excitement of this initiative lies in its dual nature — fellows will both undertake hands-on research in our special collections and participate in shaping the digital tool from the beginning and in dialogue with technical experts,” said Yota Batsaki, executive director of Dumbarton Oaks.
The fellows at Dumbarton Oaks and JSTOR were selected after a competitive application process. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the endeavor, the fellows bring to the project diverse skills in archaeology, anthropology, literary studies, early modern history, the history of science and medicine, ethnobotany, and gender studies.
2019 Andrew W. Mellon Plant Humanities FellowshipsDumbarton Oaks Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-2021) Ashley Buchanan, Tampa, Fla.
JSTOR Digital Humanities Fellow (2019-2021) Nathan Kelber, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dumbarton Oaks Academic Year Fellows (2019-2020) Victoria Pickering, London Rebecca Friedel, San Antonio, Texas
For more information about fellowships at Dumbarton Oaks, along with details on how to apply for 2019-2020 scholarly opportunities in Plant Humanities, please see visit the website.
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