Daily CSR

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has announced the recipients of the 2026 Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowships and Travel Grants in China Studies. The selected projects cover a wide range of historical periods and regions, offering innovative perspectives on longstanding historical issues as well as lesser-explored aspects of modern China.

These 24 fellowships and grants are awarded through the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies, funded by a $3 million commitment from the Henry Luce Foundation that extends through 2028. The program is designed to strengthen scholarship on China by encouraging diverse viewpoints and supporting researchers from varied academic institutions and disciplines.

Eleven Early Career Fellowships in China Studies have been awarded to emerging scholars researching subjects that include the China–US short drama market, tungsten’s influence on state formation, and the reconstruction of the Ashab Mosque in fourteenth-century Quanzhou. Among these awards are six long-term fellowships worth up to $45,000, enabling recent PhD graduates to focus on research and writing by stepping away from university duties, and five flexible fellowships valued at $15,000, intended for scholars balancing significant teaching and service commitments while continuing their research.
Thirteen Travel Grants in China Studies provide $5,000 each to doctoral students and non-tenure-track researchers at any stage of their careers. These grants support visits to research locations in China or to China-related archives and collections worldwide. The 2026 recipients will conduct research in places such as Nanjing, Shenzhen, Jiangxi, Xishuangbanna, and Dunhuang, along with international destinations including Japan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

JM Chris Chang, ACLS Program Officer in China Studies, highlighted the creativity and ambition of this year’s awardees, noting that many are developing new archives, tracing the movement of commodities across regions, and using religious sites to better understand medieval societies. Chang emphasized that continued support for early-career humanities scholars is vital for fostering informed and meaningful scholarship on China in today’s changing world.

Yuting Li, Program Director for Asia at the Luce Foundation, stressed the importance of supporting young scholars to ensure the continued growth of the field. Li remarked that the work of this year’s fellows and grantees demonstrates both the adaptability of China studies and the determination of emerging researchers to pursue innovative scholarship despite shifting global and academic conditions.

As part of the 2026 program, recipients of the Luce/ACLS Travel Grants will also join a professional development workshop series focused on public engagement. Led by Lindsay Krasnoff, Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University, the workshops will help participants strengthen skills in public communication and media writing, enabling them to share informed perspectives with wider audiences.

Beyond these fellowships and grants, the Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies continues to promote growth in the discipline through initiatives such as the Collaborative Grant program, scheduled for announcement later this year, and the China Studies Digital Mapping Project, which expands access to free and open research resources for scholars.

Founded one hundred years ago, the American Council of Learned Societies is a nonprofit federation representing 86 scholarly associations. As a major advocate for humanities and social science research in the United States, ACLS promotes the idea that knowledge should serve the public good. Through partnerships with organizations, institutions, and scholars, ACLS works to broaden access to scholarship and strengthen the systems that support academic research.

The Henry Luce Foundation, established in 1936 by Time, Inc. co-founder and editor-in-chief Henry R. Luce, aims to advance understanding and knowledge in support of a more just and democratic society. The foundation pursues this mission by supporting intellectual communities, encouraging dialogue across differences, enriching public discussion, elevating diverse perspectives, and investing in future leaders.