Call for Applications - 2016 NEH Summer Institute: “Arts of Survival: Recasting Lives in African Cities”

*Call for Applications (faculty and advanced graduate students) – 2016 NEH
Summer Institute: "Arts of Survival: Recasting Lives in African Cities"*

The Indiana University (Bloomington) Institute for Advanced Study will host
the 2016 NEH Summer Institute, "Arts of Survival: Recasting Lives in
African Cities" for college and university teachers.* This three-week
institute, held in Bloomington and New Orleans, explores contemporary urban
culture and arts in African and African diaspora cities--Accra, Lagos,
Nairobi, New Orleans and Port-au-Prince. These cities share African roots
but are distinctive because of the unique paths that subsequently shaped
them: landscapes and histories; multiple languages; waves of immigrants who
brought and continue to bring their labor, culture and creativity; and the
sometimes tragic events, both "natural" (hurricanes and earthquakes) and
man-made (legacies of colonialism and slavery, political violence, and
negligence), that these cities have undergone.



Our goal is to examine how art engages the political and social hierarchies
embedded in these cities and often recasts marginal or precarious lives
into lives that exceed their constraining structures. Through in-depth case
studies of each of these cities and their arts and an immersive experience
in New Orleans, our goal is to help participants grasp, both intellectually
and viscerally, the intricate workings of urban spaces in Africa and its
Atlantic diaspora. By examining music, literature, visual arts, festivals,
and films, participants will learn, through the unique lens of individual
artists, how urban identities are recast in each city, particularly in the
face of historical and contemporary catastrophe. *Any views, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.*



**Please note: although the program is developed for faculty members, we
will accept up to three graduate students*



http://ias.indiana.edu/neh-summer-2016/program-description/



*Application Deadline:* *March 1, 2016*



*Notification Date:* *March 31, 2016*



*Dates:* July 6-26 (3 weeks, inclusive)



*Faculty*: Eileen Julien
<http://www.indiana.edu/~complit/people/julien.shtml> and James Ogude,
Project Directors

Additional faculty: Akin Adesokan
<http://www.indiana.edu/~complit/people/adesokan.shtml>, Grace Musila
<http://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/arts/research/dr-grace-musila>, Oana
Panaïté <http://frit.indiana.edu/faculty/panaite.shtml>



*Location:* Indiana University Bloomington, with a long weekend in New
Orleans (bus transportation and dorm accommodations provided for New
Orleans excursion)



*Stipend:* $2,700



*Eligibility:* Please review the eligibility criteria for participation in
NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes at
http://www.neh.gov/files/divisions/education/eligibility/college_university_eligibility_criteria.pdf



*Questions?* Contact Special Projects Assistant Kelley Totten at
iasprogs@indiana.edu or (812) 855-8228