The ARUA Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Notions of Identity is an ARUA CoE whose goal is to establish, expand and deepen scholarship around the notion of identity in Africa. The CoE in Identities, hosted at Makerere University, is a consortium of six universities including Makerere University, Addis Ababa University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Witwatersrand, University of Rwanda and University of Ghana.
The CoE in Identities received a capacity building grant from the UKRI to implement the project Strengthening Capacity for Research and Policy Engagement in Shifting Notions of Motherhood and Fatherhood for Improved Children’s Wellbeing in Africa (SCaRPE-A) (Jan 2021 to Dec 2023). SCaRPE-A is being implemented by six partner Universities including Makerere University, University of Witwatersrand, University of the Western Cape, University of Rwanda, Moi University of Kenya and University of Ibadan. The goal of SCaRPE-A is to strengthen the capacity of the collaborating universities’ Gender Studies and Social Work Departments/Schools to teach and research shifting notions of motherhood and fatherhood, and to strengthen their engagement in research uptake strategies with policy makers and non-academic partners.
The CoE is inviting eligible candidates for the second cohort of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to apply for small grants of up to USD 6,000 to conduct research in identities of motherhood and fatherhood in Africa. This small grant fellowship call has two broad aims:
- Expand the pool of researchers working on identities in partner universities, and
- Deepen the study of the changing notions of motherhood and fatherhood in Africa and its implications on child well-being.
Most research on parenting in Africa has been skewed in favor of maternal and child health, leaving a dearth of knowledge on motherhood and fatherhood in general, in Africa, and how these have been impacted by contemporary challenges such as neoliberalism, conflict, COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. Applications that demonstrate creativity in studying changing notions of parenting, families and how it affects child wellbeing will be highly considered. Successful applicants will develop their potential to become excellent researchers within a structured mentored training environment under the auspices of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Identities and its spoke universities.
The research fellowship will run for one year (12 months). Candidates who demonstrate an interest in pursuing a research career will be preferred. The funding for this call will come from the grant fund of the UKRI funded SCaRPE-A project of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Notions of Identity in Africa.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Be a PhD Student or a Post-Doc who graduated not more than five years ago.
- Work or be registered in a PhD program in the partner University to SCaRPE-A, i.e. Makerere University, University of Ibadan, University of the Western Cape, University of Witwatersrand, University of Rwanda and Moi University of Kenya.
- Doctoral applicants must be currently registered on a PhD program in related areas of this call.
- The applicant will need to work under the terms of the grant.
Funding:
The small grant will cover costs related to: baseline study, data collection, analysis, report writing, computing costs and consumables. Applicants should provide a detailed budget and plan of activities stipulated in their proposals.
Application Process:
The application dossier should include:
- An admission letter to your PhD programme or a letter of proof of your current status in your department.
- A one-page academic biography describing your academic career and detailing the ideas and experiences that have shaped your work and your future plans.
- A five-page proposal explaining the research focus, why it is important and how it will be conducted. Applicants should provide evidence of their ability to plan and organise independent research in Humanities or Social Sciences.
- Planned activities and the Budget (To be included in the proposal but not as part of the five required pages)
- Recommendation letter from your supervisor or Head of the Unit.
Deliverables:
The 2021 grant starts in September 2022 and ends in October 2023. The key deliverables for successful applicant (s) will be:
- A research report and publishable paper.
- Present one (1) paper at an ARUA CoE Identities related academic event/workshop/symposium/Conference.
- Submit a progress report after every three (3) months.
Applications should be submitted to: info.coeidentities@mak.ac.ug no later than 17 August 2022 11:59pm East African Time
For more details Contact: Ms. Salama Nakiranda at salama.nakiranda@gmail.com, Mobile: +256778935150
Timeline
- Opening date: 8 July 2022 11:00 am East African Time
- Closing date: 17 August 2022 11:59pm East African Time
Induction of selected Early Career Researchers: 31 August 2022 12:00pm East African Time