Applications Invited for Transformative Arts and Research Initiatives Fellowship (TAARIF) 2025

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About the Organization

The Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality (CSGS) was established at Ashoka University in 2015 and is the first Centre of its kind in India to study the broader spectrum of questions relating to gender and sexuality. This spectrum includes issues of inequality, fantasy, pleasure, identity, and politics that are key realities of our everyday lives. Set in the interdisciplinary liberal arts context of Ashoka University, the Centre is committed to exploring the many intersections at which we experience gender and sexuality in relation to broader socio-political and cultural discourses in India and around the world, through scholarship and activism. In an endeavour to expand the ambit of conversations, the CSGS hosts a range of panel discussions, conferences, performances, conducts research on relevant themes and hosts dialogic workshops for schools, colleges, non-profits, and corporate organisations.

About the Fellowship

Despite the importance of gender and sexuality as areas of research around the world, there is a dearth of scholarship in these fields in India. This lacuna is especially surprising given the multi-layered histories of sexuality in the Indian subcontinent. With a view to encourage new and interdisciplinary scholarship in the broad spheres covered by gender and sexuality, the Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality at Ashoka University has launched the TAARIF (Transformative Arts and Research Initiatives Fellowship). This will be a platform for early-career trans* scholars to bring cutting-edge queer research into the public domain.

TAARIF hopes to think about trans* in a capacious sense. The subcontinent is possessed of rich histories of trans* lives, technologies, and cultures, with a high degree of conceptual and experiential variety. A fellowship that rigorously studies these areas will contribute to trans* scholarship in South Asia and the world. We aim for the fellowship to lead to an interdisciplinary body of publishable research that explores the diversity of gender, sex, sexuality, embodiment, and identity in ways that have hitherto not been adequately addressed by feminist and queer scholarship. Our vision is to examine how trans* theorisation might emerge as a framework within which to engage with issues of gender and sexuality in our time.

Broad Aims:

• To create a space for Indian early-career trans* scholars and scholarship
• To examine arts and policy, law and society, from trans* perspectives
• To strengthen research and writing skills for trans* scholarship
• To publish cutting-edge research in a transnational academic journal.

Program Structure and Details:

The third edition of the TAARIF is funded by the "Right to the Discipline” Grant 2024 awarded to CSGS by the Antipode Foundation. We invite applications from trans*persons in India who are interested in furthering their academic pursuits. The Fellowship will bring together three individuals, selected through the procedure outlined below, for a period of five months (June 1 to October 31, 2025). The mode of TAARIF is hybrid with a one-week residential academic colloquium organized at Ashoka University in October 2025. The fellows will attend mentoring workshops, supervisions, and check-in meetings with their mentors as well as engage in regular consultations on their research with the CSGS team to develop relevant skills for the research. The fellowship will culminate in a publishable paper, with fellows exploring suitable publication avenues throughout its duration.

Fellowship Structure:

• During the first two months of the fellowship, Fellows will carry out primary research as outlined in their application proposal. They will present their findings, work with feedback, and establish the conceptual foundations for their research. They will also undertake mandatory ethics training and will be introduced to their mentors and other experts in their respective fields.
• In the last three months of the fellowship, Fellows will write a 6000-word publishable paper that will rigorously highlight their research, and clarify its stakes for the advancement of queer trans* knowledge. During this period, they will participate in writing and publishing workshops while finalizing their target journals for publication. In the last month, Fellows will also reside on campus and conclude the fellowship by attending a week-long academic colloquium/conference.

Mentorship:

Primarily, the Fellows will receive feedback about their research from the CSGS team, headed by the CSGS Director, and the CSGS Postdoctoral Fellow. Additionally, the Centre will organise fortnightly conversations with scholars and activists working in relevant disciplines who can specifically provide insight to the Fellows' research areas. While the program itself will provide sustained mentorship, Fellows are expected to lead their work in a self-directed manner. This includes but is not limited to creating a well-defined research project, conducting primary and secondary research in a timely manner, and producing the required research outputs such as publishable papers.

Stipend:

Each Fellow will receive an all-inclusive stipend of INR 50,000 per month for the duration of five months, subject to satisfactory progress of their work. Additionally, each fellow will also be provided with a fieldwork allowance. The specific timelines and schedule for work completion will be drawn out by the Fellows in conversation with the CSGS team before they join the program.

Eligibility

• The Fellowship is open to all trans*persons under the age of 35.
• The applicant must hold at least a Masters degree in any relevant discipline.
• Prior research experience is preferred but not mandatory.
• The applicant should be self-motivated, proactive, and have the ability to work independently as well as in a team.
• The applicant must possess good writing and communication skills in English (language skills in general will be an asset, but the research paper will be written in English).
• The applicant should have access to the internet and a computer for research to be able to work effectively from home.
• We would prefer candidates who are NOT employed full-time in any organisation. If you are employed full-time and applying to the Fellowship, you must justify your ability to manage your commitments to the Fellowship alongside your workload in the application.
• Fellows will be selected based on the strength of their research proposal, previous research experience, ability to commit to the fellowship, and ability to produce the desired output. Trans scholars belonging to Dalit and Adivasi communities, people with disabilities and members of other minority and marginalised groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Application requirements:

• A current CV, outlining relevant academic, research and/or professional experience.
• Research Proposal of 1000-1200 words: While we do not expect your research proposal to be fully defined at the application stage, we encourage you to flesh out your idea in a way that can be satisfactorily concluded in four months' time. We also encourage you to look at creative datasets and resources. The basic outline for a research proposal, as given below, is mandatory to follow. Your proposal should contain:
• A Tentative title
• A Background/Literature Review
• Acknowledgement of a a Research Gap/ Innovative potential
• Methodology/ Theoretical Framework
• Main Research Questions
• Future Potential/ Applications of Research
• Tentative timeline
• Names of Publishable Journals where you intend on submitting your research after the completion of the Fellowship
• Name of three potential academic mentors in order of preference

We invite proposals engaging with, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Queer Arts and Aesthetics
• Trans* Literature and Life-Writing
• Trans* humanism and technology
• Decolonizing trans*
• Homonationalism and Sexual Citizenship
• Re-framing Trans* as a marginal discipline
• Trans* Cartographies / Geographies

A writing sample of not more than 3000 words (shorter pieces are also welcome) that demonstrates your ability to write clearly, cogently and persuasively in English. This could be an academic essay or a term-paper written for an academic course; an Op-Ed or any short article/ journalistic essay. If you are not able to provide any of these, you may also write a reflective piece about any theme of your choice.

One academic reference supporting your ability to work and research independently from a credible source. All references must be emailed to csgs@ashoka.edu.in with the subject <Reference for +Applicant Name> latest by March 28th, 2025, 11:59pm). Late references will not be accepted.

All other application documents should be combined into a single pdf document and emailed to csgs@ashoka.edu.in by the specified deadline (March 28th, 2025, 11:59 pm). The name of the pdf file should be "<your name>_taarif.pdf" and the subject line of your email should read “Application to TAARIF- <your name>.” Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For additional information or queries, please feel free to write to us at csgs@ashoka.edu.in.

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Tags Research Advocacy Liberal Arts Others