Lorraine Beitler Research Fellowship - University of Pennsylvania

Lorraine Beitler Research Fellowship

The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is pleased to announce the inaugural Lorraine Beitler Research Fellowship, and to invite applications from scholars interested in working with the extensive resources of the Lorraine Beitler Collection of the Dreyfus Affair. This bi-annual, one-month fellowship, which carries a stipend of $3500, is expected to take place in the summer of 2022. Applications are welcome from faculty, graduate students, independent scholars, teachers, lawyers, and journalists who are engaged in projects that bear on the historical lessons and enduring significance of the Dreyfus Affair.

Description of the Collection

Housed in the Kislak Center, the Lorraine Beitler Collection of the Dreyfus Affair includes posters, broadsides, newspapers, magazines, letters, prints, caricatures, books, and postcards documenting the history of the Dreyfus Affair and its global impact on the art, society, and politics of France and the modern world. All of the major events of the Affair, from the wrongful conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus for treason in 1894 to Emile Zola’s galvanizing statement headlined “J’Accuse…!” in 1898, to Dreyfus’ long-awaited exoneration in 1906 are represented by original items in the collection. The Collection was assembled by Dr. Lorraine Beitler as a resource for students, scholars, and members of the community interested in the research and study of the Dreyfus Affair and its importance to stimulate discussion of issues of prejudice, justice, politics and personal courage. In keeping with the breadth of the Collection, applicants with proposals in history, sociology, literature, Jewish studies, communications, political science, rhetoric, art history, law, human rights, and education are all encouraged to apply. Dr. Beitler’s intent was that the Collection would be used broadly to examine and promote understanding and social justice.  For information about the collection, please visit: http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/dreyfus/. Fellows will also have access to the wide-ranging collections of the Kislak Center, including the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. 

Particulars of the Beitler Fellowship:

The Lorraine Beitler Fellowship will be for a one-month duration. The expectation is that the Fellow will be onsite at the Kislak Center for all or most of that time. Recipients will be expected to give a presentation on their research findings or larger project during the following academic year.

To Apply

Please send a short CV and 600-word description of your research project, including an explanation of why and how the Beitler Collection will contribute to its overall goals and methodology, to lib-kislakprograms@pobox.upenn.edu

The deadline for applications is March 31. Applicants will be notified in mid to late April.