American Academy Appoints 2007 Class of
Visiting Scholars
September 27, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Seven
scholars, representing institutions in six states, have received fellowships
for the 2007-2008 academic year at the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences. The Academy’s Visiting Scholars Program supports
promising scholars and practitioners in the early stages of their careers –
both postdoctoral fellows and untenured junior faculty – who demonstrate the
potential to become leaders in the social sciences, policy studies, and the
humanities.
The scholars’ study topics including philosophy,
anthropology, history, literature, law, history of science, human rights,
political science, religion, international studies, and foreign policy. The
scholars are: David Ekbladh, a postdoctoral scholar in
American history and U.S. foreign relations from Columbia University; Lisa
Fluet, assistant professor of 20th Century British and Anglophone
Literature at Boston College; John Kaag, a postdoctoral
scholar in American philosophy from the University of Oregon; Paul
MacDonald, a postdoctoral scholar in political science from
Columbia University; Joy Rohde, a postdoctoral scholar in the
history of science from the University of Pennsylvania; Galit Sarfaty,
a Yale Law School graduate and a doctoral candidate in anthropology and
international law from the University of Chicago; and David Sehat,
a postdoctoral scholar in American history and religion from the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
“Fellowships in the humanities and social sciences are
limited,” said Academy Chief Executive Officer Leslie C. Berlowitz.
“When we established the program six years ago, our goal was to enable
early-career scholars to engage in interdisciplinary studies of complex social
and intellectual issues. The ability to interact with Academy Fellows, with an
unparalleled wealth of knowledge from diverse scholarly and professional
backgrounds, also provides a unique intergenerational opportunity for Visiting
Scholars.”
The scholars will spend the year in residence at the
Academy in Cambridge, Mass., working on a range of studies that relate to the
Academy’s core program areas: Humanities and Culture; Social Policy
and American Institutions; Education; and Science,
Technology, and Global Security. In addition to focusing on their
individual projects, they will participate in ongoing activities at the
Academy, including seminars and lectures. Previous Visiting Scholars are now on
the faculty of Brooklyn College, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, the University of
Georgia, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale, among other
institutions.
Patricia Meyer Spacks, Edgar F.
Shannon Professor of English Emerita at the University of Virginia and former
president of the Academy, currently chairs the Visiting Scholars Program. An
authority on 18th Century literature and culture, she has written about such
issues as identity and selfhood, privacy, gossip, and feminism.
The Academy’s University Affiliates, a group of 50
colleges and universities from throughout the country, provide support and
guidance for the Visiting Scholars Program. Funding is also provided by the
Annenberg Foundation, the Cabot Family Charitable Trust, the Virginia
Wellington Cabot Trust, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation, the Charles
and Suzanne Haar Fund, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any
views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do
not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or
any other funder.
More information about the program, including
guidelines and application forms for 2008-2009, is available on the Academy’s
website: www.amacad.org.
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts
multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. With headquarters
in Cambridge, Mass., the Academy’s work is advanced by its 4,600 elected
members, who are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and
public affairs from around the world.
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