Fellowships
Guidelines for a Successful Application
As a premier international resource center for the study of the history of Christianity in East Asia, we promote quality research and educational endeavors, and strive for academic excellence. Fellowship programs are a key component of our initiatives, and the Ricci Institute welcomes visiting scholars from across the world on an annual basis. Besides independently funded scholars, the Ricci Institute also offers financial assistance and encourages scholars to apply for our annual fellowship programs. We recommend that researchers interested in our fellowship programs review carefully both the specific requirements of each program as well as the following points before submitting their application.
The Ricci Institute library contains over 100,000 volumes of printed materials, more than a dozen special archival collections, and more than 400,000 digital primary and secondary sources for the study of the history of Christianity in East Asia. A careful examination of and sufficient knowledge about the Ricci Institute library and its archival collections with regard to specific research projects and proposals are an important first step in preparing a research proposal for a fellowship application.
Our application reviewers are world renowned specialists in different disciplines in the study of the history of Christianity in East Asia. Thus, a strong research proposal is a key component of any fellowship application at the Ricci Institute.
The proposal should, in a few pages, explain your research plans, including your scholarly methodology. A clear and coherent research proposal allows our reviewers to understand what you wish to do, how you plan to do it, and to evaluate whether it is intellectually valuable and viable.
For helpful general advice on writing a research proposal, please visit: http://www.cies.org/project-statement-samples
“On the Art of Writing Proposals”: https://www.ssrc.org/publications/the-art-of-writing-proposals/
A strong letter of recommendation can be a tremendous asset to a successful application. The best letters serve as advocates for a candidate’s suitability for a particular fellowship, highlighting what is original and outstanding about the applicant’s research. Therefore, it is best to ask for recommendation letters from those who are well acquainted with the applicant and his/her work as well as with the Ricci Institute at Boston College and its fellowship programs. A colleague who is familiar with an individual’s research accomplishments and understands the mission of the Ricci Institute at Boston College can offer reviewers substantive information on an applicant’s competence to undertake a research project.
Self-composed recommendation letters only signed by another recommender will affect an application negatively. Thus, we strongly suggest that applicants send a description of the fellowship program and a copy of their CV and research proposal (or dissertation description) to their recommenders, who will then personally write letters in support of an application.
DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS
Application details to be announced.
Overview
The BC Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History is a premier global resource for the study of Chinese-Western cultural exchange with a core focus on the social and cultural history of Christianity in China. Besides its 100,000 volumes of books in Chinese and Western languages, its library also includes (1) a digital copy of the Japonica-Sinica Manuscript Collection from the Roman Archives of the Society of Jesus (ARSI); (2) the Francis A. Rouleau Microfilm / Digital Archival Collections’ (3) the Canton Diocese Archival Collection; (4) a digital copy of the Passionist China Collection; (5) the Anthony E. Clark Collection; (6) Pre-Modern Japanese & Korean Christian Materials; and (7) other archival materials and artistic artifacts.
LUCE POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS
Application details to be announced.
Overview
Luce Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships are open to post-doctoral level applicants, including junior faculty members (i.e. those within five years of having received the PhD). We invite research proposals primarily focused on the archival collections at the Ricci Institute and serving the preparation of research publications. Topics of inquiry may include Chinese-Western cultural history, history of Christianity in China, comparative studies of Christianity and cultures in China, Japan, and Korea, etc.
EDS-Stewart Chair Fellowships
EDS-Stewart Chair Fellowships are designed to promote cross-cultural understanding and scholarly cooperation between China and the West. The Chair sponsors study, research, teaching, publications, public lectures, and symposia on topics related to the study of encounters between Chinese culture and Christian faith and of the history of Christianity in China, particularly the history of the Jesuit mission in China.
This fellowship is by invitation only.
Ricci Institute Travel Grants
The Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History annually awards travel grants to encourage faculty members, doctoral students, and other researchers from outside of the Boston area to use the Institute’s library and archival collections for their research. Research topics may include, but are not limited to, Chinese-Western cultural exchange, interaction, and/or encounters; Jesuit interaction with China from the late Ming through the early 20th century; and/or the history of Christianity in China.
The Ricci Institute offers two types of travel grants (applicants may apply for one only):
Domestic
- Domestic travel grants are intended to help defer the expenses of scholars traveling from within the United States to the Ricci Institute to perform research utilizing its archival and library collections.
- Each domestic travel grant provides up to $1,000 for approved travel-related expenses incurred to conduct research at the Institute; preference will be given to applicants who will be in residence at the Institute for a minimum of one week or five working days.
International
- International travel grants are intended to help defer the expenses of scholars traveling from outside of the United States to the Ricci Institute to perform research utilizing its archival and library collections.
- Each grant provides up to $2,000 for approved travel-related expenses incurred to conduct research at the Institute; preference will be given to applicants who will be in residence at the Institute for a minimum of one week or five working days.
Application requirements and deadline:
- Curriculum Vitae.
- A 5–8-page double-spaced statement in English with an outline of the proposed research and specific information about how the Ricci Institute library and archival collections will contribute to the research, a tentative plan for future publication if any.
- A proposed budget.
- Two academic reference contacts who are knowledgeable about the proposed research plan.
The deadline for travel grant applications is February 1 and awards will be announced by April 1 in any year. Funding will be available for use from June 1 to April 30 of the following year.
Travel grant recipients are invited to participate in Ricci Institute events during the time of their residency. If feasible, they are also invited to give a presentation on their research to the Boston College community. At the end of their residence, they are asked to submit a brief written report on the value of the resources at the Ricci Institute to their research.
Awards are funded by the EDS-Stewart Chair for Chinese-Western Cultural History and, for scholars of Asian descent, the Ricci Asian Scholars Endowment.
Malatesta Scholarships
Application details to be announced.
The Ricci Institute awards Malatesta Scholarship(s) each year ($1000 to $4000) to honor the memory of Rev. Edward J. Malatesta, founding director of the Ricci Institute, for his contributions to the history of Chinese-Western cultural exchange, and to promote research by Chinese scholars on topics related to the history of Christianity in China.
Scholarships are awarded to young Chinese scholars in the People’s Republic of China to assist them in the completion of advanced study (doctoral and postdoctoral level work) on the topic of Christianity in China. Scholarship awards may be used to cover research, travel, and lodging expenses in China and abroad. Funds may not be used for tuition or computer/camera equipment.
Online Information Panel Session for the 2025-2026 BC Ricci Institute – Harvard-Yenching Institute Joint Fellowship
To assist scholars to learn more about and apply for the 2025-2026 joint fellowship program, the co-sponsoring institutions are offering this online panel session to respond to inquiries and answer questions.
Time: Friday, November 15, 2024, 8:00 – 8:45 p.m. EST (UTC-5), USA
Panelists: Staff members of the BC Ricci Institute and Harvard-Yenching Institute, and previous fellowship recipients.
Audience: Scholars interested in applying for the 2025-2026 academic year joint fellowship.
Participation: Register online by pressing here. A Zoom link will be available through email 24 hours prior to the occasion. Sign into your Zoom account before attending the online session.
For more information about the joint fellowship and its application requirements, please visit our fellowship page or this Harvard-Yenching Institute.
For additional inquiries, please write to Dr. Xiaoxin Wu, Director of Research, BC Ricci Institute at: xiaoxin.wu.2@bc.edu
The following are some examples of the local time for the session
- Boston, USA: Friday, November 15, 8:00 p.m. (EST, UTC-5)
- Beijing, China: Saturday, November 16, 9:00 a.m. (CST, UTC+8)
- Tokyo, Japan: Saturday, November 16, 10:00 a.m. (JST, UTC+9)
- Seoul, South Korea: Saturday, November 16, 10:00 a.m. (KST, UTC+9)
- Hanoi, Vietnam: Saturday, November 16, 8:00 a.m. (ICT, UTC+7)
BC Ricci Institute–Harvard-Yenching Institute Joint Visiting Researcher Fellowship Program
Deadline: November 29, 2024
The Boston College Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Institute invite applications for a Joint Visiting Researcher Fellowship in the 2025-2026 academic year for full-time faculty members at Asia-based universities or research institutions in Asia, regardless of citizenship. The purpose of the Fellowship is to bring faculty at a crucial stage of their academic career to Boston for a six-month period of research, to be conducted at both Institutions.
The Institutes
The Boston College Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History is a premier global resource for the study of Chinese-Western cultural exchange with a core focus on the social and cultural history of Christianity in East Asia, including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The Ricci Institute collections include over 100,000 volumes. The majority of these volumes concern traditional China with a special concentration on the Jesuits missions, East–West cultural exchange, and the history of the Ming–Qing period, roughly from the 16th–19th centuries. In addition to these volumes there are more than 400,000 digital documents, photos, manuscripts, microfilms, paintings, and artefacts, including fifteen special archival collections. For more detailed information on the Ricci Institute’s collections please see the online catalogue. The Ricci Institute Library has added thousands of volumes annually. About 60% of the volumes are in Chinese, with additional materials in Japanese, Korean, and Manchu, as well as in English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, German, and Latin.
The Harvard-Yenching Institute (HYI) is an independent foundation dedicated to advancing higher education in Asia in the humanities and social sciences, with special attention to the study of Asian culture. The Institute offers fellowship programs to faculty members and doctoral students at leading East, Southeast, and South Asian universities in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. Closely connected with the HYI, the Harvard-Yenching Library has held a rich collection of research materials and rare books in East Asian languages since its inception in 1928. With its 1.6 million volumes in more than a dozen languages, the Harvard-Yenching Library holds the most comprehensive East Asian collection of any American university and has become the largest academic library for East Asian studies in the Western world.
Applicants
Applicants will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge of the resources relevant to their research that are available both at the Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library collections. They will also need to show concretely how access to these collections will further their research and career development. Priority consideration will be given to scholars who have not previously enjoyed extended research/teaching residence at either institution. Successful applicants will be provided with a monthly stipend of $6,500 for six months. In addition, they will have Visiting Researcher privileges at both Boston College and Harvard University.
Boston College will assist with the visiting researcher visa process for citizens of countries other than the U.S. (with the exception of foreign citizens who are U.S. Legal Permanent Residents, who do not require a visa). Housing will be the responsibility of the fellowship recipient. Both Boston College and the Harvard-Yenching Institute offer information on their respective websites regarding available housing for rent in the greater Boston metropolitan area.
Overview
This joint visiting researcher program offers faculty members the opportunity to undertake six months of independent scholarly research during the 2024-2025 academic year at Boston College and the Harvard-Yenching Institute to take advantage of the resources of the Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library. Proposed research projects directly related to the history and cultures of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, or Vietnam, including comparative studies between two or more East Asian countries and cultures) will be given priority.
Successful applicants will join the community of researchers at the Ricci Institute and Harvard-Yenching Institute and will have access to all Boston College and Harvard University libraries.
Eligibility Criteria
The Fellowship is open to applicants who have earned doctoral degrees and are full-time faculty members at Asia-based universities or full-time research fellows at research institutions (e.g., Academia Sinica, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Toyo Bunko and Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences). Scholars whose work focuses on the study of East Asian culture from a wide array of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences (including interdisciplinary approaches) are eligible to apply. These include, but are not limited to, anthropology, archaeology, art, religion, cultural studies, economic history, geography and cartography, the history of science, music, and/or art, global history, language and literature, legal history, philosophy, sociology and politics.
Terms and Conditions
The most desirable start time for successful joint Fellowship recipients is the end of August 2025, when the academic year begins at both sponsoring institutions. In view of individual circumstances and academic schedules in different countries, late arrivals may be considered (but no later than October 31, 2025).
During the fellowship period, Visiting Researchers will be expected to be regularly present and to play an active role in the academic programs of both Institutes. Each researcher will be expected to deliver a public lecture or seminar presentation, to be jointly hosted by both the Boston College Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Institute. At the end of their stay, they will also be required to write a report about the research undertaken and how the collections of the Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library facilitated and/or aided their research agenda.
The selection criteria include academic training, quality and originality of the research proposal, depth of subject knowledge, as well as the demonstrated knowledge of and need to consult extensively both the Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library collections.
The Boston College Ricci Institute–Harvard-Yenching Institute Joint Visiting Researcher Fellowship application deadline is November 29, 2024.
A Ricci Institute and Harvard-Yenching Institute Joint Selection Committee will review all application files, including the candidate’s research proposal and recommendation letters. An interview through Zoom will be scheduled with all semi-finalists in mid-December or early January. Following the final decision of the Selection Committee, candidates will be notified of the status of their application by the end of-January, 2025.
Applicants should submit the following by November 29, 2024:
- Curriculum Vitae;
- a 5–10-page double-spaced statement with an outline of the proposed research and related activities, the contributions the scholar hopes to make in relevant field(s), tentative plans for publication of the research results, and how the research is related to and will be enriched by resources available at the BC Ricci Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library. Please indicate the starting and end dates of your 6-month research stay during the 2025-2026 academic year (from late August 2025 to late January, no later than March 2026 for those who arrive after August).
- two up-to-date signed letters of recommendation on an official letterhead. All required documents must be in English.
All application documents should be submitted online here.
Letters of recommendation must be submitted directly from the recommenders on institutional letterhead electronically here.
Additional Information
A Zoom roundtable discussion on the fellowship application will be scheduled through Zoom in mid-November, 2025.
For information on how to write a research proposal, obtain recommendation letters and other related matters, please visit:
Ricci Institute at Boston College fellowship application information webpage
For additional questions and inquiries, please write to Dr. Xiaoxin Wu, Director of Research, BC Ricci Institute.