Deadline: September 30, 2026.

The Africa Institute, Global Studies University is a globally oriented center for research, documentation, study, and teaching of Africa and its diaspora in the humanities and social sciences. It hosts a series of senior and post-doctoral fellowships, awarded through its Research Fellowships Program.

Conceived as a research-based think-tank and a postgraduate studies institution, the Institute offers both masters and Ph.D. programs dedicated to training a new generation of critical thinkers in African and African diaspora studies and evolving a new model for academic research, teaching and documentation in the field.

FELLOWSHIPS

1. Toni Morrison Senior Fellowship in African Diaspora Literature and Cultural Studies: This fellowship is named in honor of the late Toni Morrison, a prolific woman of letters whose contributions to world literature, the humanities, and the understanding of the African American experience, expand beyond her novels and into incisive texts in cultural studies and critical theory. Eligible applicants include the level of Associate or Full Professors in their home institutions, or independent authors and public intellectuals who earned critical recognition for their writings in all related fields to African and African diaspora and culture. This is a full-time, one-year residency based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, typically running from September to June.
2. Ali A. Mazrui Senior Fellowship in Global African Studies: Named in honor of the esteemed late Professor Ali A. Mazrui – whose contributions to the field of African Studies have left a remarkable and transformative impact on the world – this fellowship is open to senior scholars whose work shows emphasis on African and African diaspora studies and their intersections with social sciences and the humanities. Eligible applicants include well-recognized scholars at the level of associate or full professors in their home institutions, or independent authors and public intellectuals who earned critical recognition for their writings in all related fields to African and African diaspora studies. This is a full-time, one-year residency based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, typically running from September to June.
3. Okwui Enwezor Postdoctoral Fellowship in Visual Culture, Performance Studies, and Critical Humanities: Named in honor of the late Okwui Enwezor, the famed scholar, curator, and art critic, whose contributions to the disciplines of art history, art criticism and cultural studies have left a groundbreaking and dynamic impact, this fellowship is open to emerging scholars whose work focuses on visual and performance studies and intersections with discourses of art history, performance studies, and critical humanities. Eligible applicants must have earned their doctoral degree (Ph.D.) within the last five years, prior to assuming the fellowship. This is a full-time, two-year residency based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, typically running from September to June.
4. Fatema Mernissi Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social and Cultural Studies: This fellowship is named in honor of the world-renowned Moroccan scholar, the late Professor Fatema Mernissi, whose contributions to gender, feminism, sociopolitical change and Islam, have been critical and transformational. The fellowship is open to emerging scholars in the field of social sciences with specific emphasis on gender, feminism, and cultural studies and visual cultures, as long as they intersect with African and African diaspora studies. Eligible applicants must have earned their doctoral degree (Ph.D.) within the last five years, prior to assuming the fellowship. This is a full-time, two-year residency based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, typically running from September to June.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• The Senior Fellowships are open to scholars who are at the associate professor or full professor levels, or their equivalents within or outside the academy.
• The applicant for the Postdoctoral Fellowships must hold a Ph.D. awarded within the last five years.

APPLICATION

• An abstract (up to 300 words) outlining the research project the applicant proposes to carry out during the fellowship period.
• A project statement (1,000–2,000 words) outlining the research objectives, approach, and overall importance of the study. Applicants may also include a one-page bibliography featuring the key sources that are most relevant to their proposed work.
• Two Samples of Writing (published and/or unpublished)
• Letter of Interest
• CV
• Contact details of three referees whom the Institute will solicit directly for letters of reference.

Find more information on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE