John Hunwick Research Fund
President Henry Bienen and Provost Larry Dumas established this award in 2007 to honor the work of Professor Emeritus John Hunwick (History and Religion Departments). This endowment supports research by Northwestern University faculty and graduate students on Islam in Africa. John Hunwick's research and scholarship made significant contributions towards scholarly understanding of Muslim societies in West Africa, particularly in the area of West African Islamic scholarship and the translation of primary texts and documents. His documentary history, Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Saidi's Ta'rikh al-Sudan Down to 1613 and Other Contemporary Documents, won the 2001 African Studies Association Text Prize.
Awards of varying amounts are given annually to Northwestern University graduate students and faculty to pursue research on a topic related to Islam in Africa.
Awards may be used for the following purposes:
- To fund travel to an archive, library, or to conduct field research.
- For graduate students: to fund expenses associated with presenting a paper related to Islam and Africa at a conference. Faculty members are not eligible for conference support from this fund since they have access to departmental funds for such purposes.
- While the priority will be given to funding the first two areas, funds may also be made available to a faculty member or graduate student to organize the visit of a scholar of Islam and Africa to Northwestern to give a lecture, visit a class, or interact with students.
Application instructions:
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications must include the following for successful submission:
- All applications should be submitted as a PDF with an application cover sheet;
- CV or resume;
- 2-3 page (single-spaced) proposal detailing your research, conference participation, or proposal for a visiting speaker;
- detailed budget.
Please direct questions to african-studies@northwestern.edu or call 847-491-7323.