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THE ZUBAAN-SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION GRANTS
FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS FROM THE NORTHEAST
Zubaan Publishers and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation are offering a number of grants for the year 2019 to young researchers from the eight northeastern Indian states and neighbouring areas. These grants offer a small fund to prepare a research papers/essays/translations, etc, on the themes detailed in the call below.
Grant Details
This research grant, in its second year now, aims to encourage young writers and researchers to contribute to the diversification of knowledge production. It is set against the broad framework/themes mentioned below, which will be examined through the lens of gender in ‘the Northeast’.
This year, we are looking for applications for research under the themes of:
1. Memory: Exploring the relationship between memory and history; the importance of oral histories and testimonies; the ways in which both private and public memory live on and find articulation; the importance, for communities, of preserving ‘contentious’ memories and the reluctance of states to ‘allow’ such memories to survive; the role of memory in healing; unpacking invisible hierarchies in memory.
2. Migration: The role of migration and migrants in shaping new histories and cultures; migration as the search for a future; migration as flight in times of war or ‘natural’ disaster; migration and cultural production, for example, food, cuisines, literature, songs, stories; migrants and ‘settlers’.
3. Children’s Literature:
a. Translations or adaptions of oral folklore or folktales; reimaginings or repurposings of traditional stories through a gendered lens; and histories, analysis and research on the same.
b. Research papers on children’s literature, learnings or accounts of library projects, community engagements, and alternative or independent educational initiatives (or independent narratives from within formal education spaces).
The idea behind the grant is to provide financial and academic support to young researchers who may wish to look into particular aspects of the histories, politics, and/or cultures of the northeastern states in relation to gender and the outlined themes.
The research papers must be written in English. In subsequent years the grant may open up to other languages, but for the moment it remains limited to English. All papers written with the support of the grant will be published electronically by Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd on various digital platforms. They may also be compiled in print form, at a later stage.
The papers may be academic research papers, long-form journalistic essays or long interviews on a particular subject, thematically aligned with the call. Hybrid or creative forms are welcome.
[Note: Research papers which are a part of an ongoing or recently completed PhD thesis will not be covered by this grant.]
Eligibility criteria
1. If you are from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura and are less than 40 years of age, you are eligible to apply. The research grant is also open for applicants from hill regions in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Dooars area.
2. Fluency in writing and reading English is necessary.
[Note: If you feel that you fit into the eligibility criteria and have an interesting proposal to discuss, one which may not be in English but has the scope of being translated/adapted, please write to us at projects@zubaanbooks.com before submitting your proposal.]
3. You must commit to researching and writing a 10,000 words (minimum) essay. The grant also allows for the development of graphic narratives, extended interviews, creative works such as fiction writing or photo essays in lieu of the essay, all within a specified timeline.
[Note: Since we have a limited number of grants available, we would like to encourage applicants who can commit to submitting the first drafts of their work within four months of selection. Please apply ONLY if you feel you can fulfil this criteria so as to not deprive other deserving applicants.]
How to apply
Interested persons should send their applications, including the documents mentioned below, to projects@zubaanbooks.com by 6 June 2019:
1. Send in a grant proposal (maximum two pages) which clearly describes the research project you wish to undertake (the subject of your research as well as the methodologies and mediums you intend you use), which sources you will tap (primary and secondary), and a proposed timeline.
[Note: If you need any guidance/format for writing a proposal, please write to us at projects@zubaanbooks.com.]
2. Submit a writing sample of roughly 500 words or a two-page spread of a graphic story, or an extract from an interview transcript done by you.
3. Grant proposals may be creative and do not need to be written in academic language.
4. Submit your CV and any other relevant information about yourself that you think is necessary, including proof of age.
5. Two names of referees, ideally people with whom you have previously worked.
Shortlist and selection of grantees
All grant proposals will be screened by a selection committee. The committee will prepare a shortlist based on certain criteria and may wish to interview some candidates. Interviews can take place by Skype or phone or in person. The committee will then decide and the candidate will be informed. The committee’s decision will be final.
Duration
The first draft of the selected papers is expected in four months after the methodology workshop, details of which are mentioned below. Papers may need to be revised after the first draft depending on the feedback. Depending on the feedback, a month may be given for the required revisions.
Payments
The fellowship carries a grant of INR 35,000, less applicable taxes.
Payments will be made in two instalments: 25 per cent on approval of the project and signature of contract, and the remaining on the completion of the study.
Methodology workshops
All successful candidates will be required to attend a preliminary methodology workshop, which will be held in the late July or early August, as well as a mid-term online review where they will present a draft of their work in order to get feedback from peers and resource people. In the time remaining for the grant, candidates will be required to take the feedback on board and to finalize their papers.
Interested candidates can send in their applications to projects@zubaanbooks.com.
The last date of submission of application is 6 June 2019. Shortlisted candidates will be informed by the first week of July 2019.
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Zubaan is an independent feminist publishing house based in New Delhi. We publish academic books, fiction, memoirs and popular nonfiction, as well as books for children and young adults under our Young Zubaan imprint, aiming always to be pioneering, cutting-edge, progressive and inclusive. For more information, log onto www.zubaanbooks.com.
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation addresses the diverse and complicated issues that human society is encountering in the 21st century. SPF and Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd work together on projects linked with cultural production, writing and literature in Northeast India. For more information, log onto www.spf.org.