Postdoctoral Fellow Public Policy Humanities

Posting Details

Position Details

Postdoctoral Fellow on Public Policy and the Humanities

Non‑Tenure Track

IU Bloomington Afro‑American Studies

Bloomington

The Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University Bloomington invites applications for two Mellon Foundation–funded Postdoctoral Fellowships linked to the newest‑established Black Humanities in the Midwest (BHIM) Africana Studies Research Center.

• Position Focus:
  Public Policy and the Humanities, with emphasis on Criminology, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Justice, or Economics from a Black Studies perspective.

• Teach two courses per academic year in AAADS.
• Contribute actively to one of BHIM’s three interdisciplinary labs: the Research Development Lab, Applied Humanities Lab, or Humanities in Community Lab.
• Participate in departmental workshops, symposia, and community‑engaged events.

Fellows are expected to be in residence during the fellowship period, apart from research‑related travel.

Indiana University is fully committed to transferring each postdoctoral fellow to the rank of assistant professor within the university and will provide the necessary mentoring, resources, and structures for a successful transition. Postdoctoral fellows must maintain IU’s academic standards for a tenure‑track position, and the offer of a tenure‑track position.

The Black Humanities in the Midwest (BHIM) Africana Studies Research Center is supported by the Mellon Foundation and fosters humanities‑oriented scholarship, artistic expression, and civic engagement rooted in the experiences and legacies of Black and Africana Diasporic communities in Indiana and across the Midwest. BHIM merges critical humanities scholarship with Applied Africana Studies, producing research and public projects that interpret and shape the cultural and civic landscape of the region.

Its three interdisciplinary labs serve as hubs for faculty‑led research, course development, public programming, and community partnerships.

Established in 1970, AAADS at Indiana University Bloomington celebrates its 55‑year anniversary as one of the oldest Black Studies departments in the nation. AAADS is a national leader in Black Studies, offering a B.A., 4 dual B.A.s (with English, History, Religious Studies, and Sociology), an M.A., 3 dual M.A.s (with Library and Information Science, Public and Environmental Affairs, and the nation’s only M.A./M.F.A. in Creative Writing and African American Studies), and the Ph.D. degree—one of only 19 Ph.D. programs in African American Studies nationwide and the only one in Indiana.

AAADS houses signature programs including its performing arts ensembles, the African American Dance Company, IU Soul Revue, and the African American Choral Ensemble. We house the Atkins Living Learning Center, a residential community for incoming freshmen promoting academic excellence through African American history and culture. AAADS also co‑founded two landmark archives, the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) and the Black Film Center/Archive (BFC/A), and leads the innovative Blackness and Jewishness Project, a first‑of‑its‑kind partnership with IU’s Borns Jewish Studies Program.

Indiana University Bloomington is a leading Big Ten public research university committed to excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. at the time of appointment. We seek scholars in Black Studies who can contribute to BHIM’s research labs and work toward the completion of their book manuscript or other scholarly projects. Current doctoral candidates are welcome to apply but must defend their dissertation and confer their degree prior to the start date. Please note the anticipated or confirmed completion date in the cover letter.

For more information, please contact Dr. Jakobi Williams at jakowill or Jen Faulk at Jefaulk.