Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) 21st Century Fellowship

The Society for Ethnomusicology is a U.S.-based organization with an international membership of approximately 1,700 individuals dedicated to the study of all forms of music from diverse humanistic and social scientific perspectives. As a network of scholars, educators, students, musicians, activists, curators, and other professionals that reaches across countries, disciplines, and institutions, SEM serves as an inclusive forum for the exchange of knowledge about the world’s music and for advocacy on behalf of musicians and their communities.

The purpose of the 21st Century Fellowship is to further excellence in ethnomusicological research through support to two highly qualified Ph.D. students for dissertation fieldwork. Applicants must be current SEM members and must achieve ABD or equivalent doctoral candidate status at their institution by August 1 of the year of application. Applicants must conduct a minimum of six months of fulltime dissertation research, some or all of which must take place after the date of the award at the fall SEM Annual Meeting. Onsite fieldwork is preferred, but virtual fieldwork will also be considered.

he Specialized Fellowship is designated for students who are studying in a graduate program in the United States or Canada and who have received less than $5,000 in funding for their dissertation fieldwork. This fellowship prioritizes students who meet one or more of the following additional criteria:

• are from schools that do not fund dissertation research;
• are conducting research in their country of origin;
• are doing multi-sited research;
• are from marginalized groups. Marginalization may include such factors as race, ethnicity, color, caste, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.