Harvard-Yenching Institute

Origins

• Harvard-Yenching Institute founded in 1928, funded by the estate of Charles M. Hall, inventor of the process for refining aluminum and founder of ALCOA

Mission

• Charles M. Hall’s vision: to promote the study of liberal arts in Asia and to support the development of higher education in Asia

• China focused programs to 1949• Expansion to other countries in Asia after 1949• Since 1950: More than 1000 faculty from Asia

have received fellowships and more than 300 doctoral students from Asia have received their degrees with HYI support

Harvard-Yenching Library

Yenching University 燕京大学• Yenching University

1930s• Yenching University

pagoda

Directors

• Current director, Dr. Elizabeth Perry, well-known expert on 20th century Chinese politics, popular protest in China; President of the Association of Asian Studies in 2007

Activities of HYI

• Creating a community of scholars

• Seminars• Presentations by fellows

and visiting scholars• Workshops• Training Programs

HYI Scholars and Fellows

HYI Programs

• Visiting Scholars Program: for partner universities in Asia (10 month research grants at HYI in Cambridge)

• Visiting Fellows Program: for advanced graduate students from Asian Partners to conduct dissertation research at HYI for 17 months

Visiting Scholars Program

• This program offers faculty members in the humanities and social sciences the opportunity to undertake 10 months of post-doctoral research at Harvard University. The proposed research project should be related to the humanities and social sciences with an emphasis on culture. Asian and comparative studies are especially welcome. Successful applicants join researchers at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and have access to the Harvard University libraries.

Qualifications

• A member of the faculty of one of HYI’s partner institutions

• No nationality restrictions• Ability to participate in activities in English• Preference to younger scholars, but no age

restrictions• Must have at least 2 years of research/teaching

experience at home institution• Nomination by home institution

Selection Process

• Selection within home institution• Submission of application: deadline Sept. 30

– (submitted through home institution’s international office)• Review of applications by scholars in related fields,

selection of candidates to interview• Interviews (3 person teams, 1 scholar from US and two HYI

alumni from home country) (January)• Review and final selection by HYI committee

– (Notification by mid-late February)

Stipend, etc.

• Visiting scholars: US$5000/month for 10 months

• Health Insurance• Round trip airfare (economy class)• $500 to attend one academic conference in US

Obligations

• One Presentation on research, in English, during the academic year

• Participation in activities for visiting scholars and fellows• Opportunity to gain support for workshop

• Continuing support for HYI alumni– Publication subventions– Right to apply for workshop/symposium support– Publication of working papers, etc.

Visiting Fellows Program

• This program provides advanced Ph.D. candidates at our partner institutions an opportunity to conduct dissertation research at Harvard University for three semesters. Preference is given to those in East Asian Studies whose research would benefit from the resources of the Harvard-Yenching Library. Successful applicants join researchers at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and have access to all Harvard University libraries.

Qualifications

• Nationality Qualification: must be a citizen of an Asian country

• Nomination by home university• Ability to participate in activities in English,

including weekly workshop

Stipend, etc.

• Round-trip economy class airfare• Payment of Harvard University Visiting Fellows

fees• Health Insurance• Stipend (2012-2013) monthly aprox.

$2,450/month for 17 months• Funding (up to $500) for participation in an

academic conference in the US or Canada

Application Process

• Very similar to that for Visiting Scholars• Application Deadline: September 30• In addition to application form and 3 letters of

recommendation, 2-3 page description of dissertation project, university transcripts

Other HYI programs

• HYI and Regional Studies—East Asia– Open to students from Asian countries who are

accepted into the Regional Studies East Asia Master’s Program at Harvard University. Candidates apply to the RSEA program, and if accepted may be nominated for the HYI sponsored scholarship which provides 2 years of support for MA and an additional 1.5 years of support if admitted to Ph.D. course

Other HYI Programs

• Sponsors the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies

• HYI Working Papers series (on-line)• China publication series• Vietnam publication series• Harvard Yenching monograph series

Training Programs

• Intensive 10-day programs for graduate students and junior faculty (conducted in partnership with one of our partner universities)

• Summer 2012: Social Science Approaches to Contemporary Chinese Everyday Life (with Nanjing University and the University of Sydney)

• January 2012: Civil Society and Grassroots Politics in New Democracies and Hybrid Regimes (with Korea University and the Korean Foundation for Advanced Studies)

• Special features: Participants can apply for a one-year fellowship at HYI following the completion of the training program—2-5 from each program chosen for such grants

Other Asian Partners

• China: 19 Universities and Research Institutes– (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai Academy of Social

Sciences, and 17 Universities)• Japan 12 Partners, including 11 universities and 1 research

library• Hong Kong: 2 Universities

– (Hong Kong University, Chinese University of Hong Kong)• Korea: 12 Partners

– (Academy of Korean Studies and 11 Universities)• Taiwan: 2 Universities and 1 Research Institute

– (Academic Sinica, National Taiwan University, National Tsinghua University)

Partners in Southeast Asia

• National University of Singapore• Cambodia:– Pannasastra University– Royal University of Fine Arts– Royal University of Phnom Penh

Partners in Southeast Asia

• Thailand– Chiang Mai University– Chulalongkorn University– Thammasat University

• Vietnam– Southern Institute of Sustainable Development– University of Social Sciences - Ho Chi Minh City– Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences – Hanoi– Vietnam National University - Hanoi

For more information please visit the HYI home pagehttp://www.harvard-yenching.org/