Harvard’s Charles Warren Center invites applications from scholars of U.S. cultural history, social history, performance studies, historical sociology and anthropology, and related fields to explore everyday life in the United States. This seminar seeks to develop new ways to connect the closely-observed textures of small-scale experiences to broad political concerns. How might we understand the expansive stakes in ordinary, persistent, and repeated activities? To explore this question, we seek scholars from diverse disciplines and interdisciplines who will bring to the conversation distinct analytical tools by which to examine everyday life. Scholars of any period or region of the U.S., or the U.S in transnational context, are welcome.

Scholars who explore the connections between everyday life and the construction and maintenance of race, gender, sexuality, class, and other categories of analysis are especially welcome. Seminar participants will unite across diverse disciplines and topics through a shared commitment to analyzing the politics of ordinary rituals and behaviors.

Fellows will present their work in a seminar led by Robin Bernstein (African and African American Studies and Studies in Women, Gender, and Sexuality) and Lizabeth Cohen (History). Applicants may not be degree candidates and should have a Ph.D. or equivalent. We especially seek applicants who embrace the challenges of forging scholarly conversations across disciplines. Fellows have library privileges and an office which they must use for at least the 9-mo. academic year. Stipends: individually determined according to fellow needs and Center resources. Application (from our website) due January 13, 2012; decisions in early March.