State Historical Society of Missouri announces 2024 fellowship opportunities

Courtesy SHSMO

The State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) is looking for two new fellows starting January 2024 with the task of completing a scholarly essay on one of two selected underexplored areas of Missouri’s history.

According to an April 19 press release, the topics for 2024’s fellowship include “Labor History in Missouri” and “Missouri Women in the Great Depression or World War II.”

The selected fellows will receive a stipend of $5,000 to support the completion of their 6,000 to 8,000-word scholarly essay. Completed pieces will go through the peer review process and be considered for publication in the Missouri Historical Review.

John Brenner, the managing editor for the Missouri Historical Review, says SHSMO started the Center for Missouri Studies Fellowship in 2015 as an innovative way to encourage scholarship on Missouri’s history. 

Since its launch, the program has welcomed 18 fellows with their research acquisitions highlighting underexplored corners of Missouri history. 

Past publications from fellows include pieces on the significance of slavery in shaping the Catholic Church in Missouri and the unsung story of The Baby Tooth Survey.

As reported by 2016 fellow Luke Ritter, The Baby Tooth Survey was based on a 1950s project that would later help end above-ground nuclear weapon testing in the United States thanks to the pressure of an unassuming group: St. Louis moms. Of their concern about the health effects of nuclear weapons testing, The Baby Tooth Survey was born. Over 300,000 baby teeth of children born in the era of H-bomb testing were examined, with the results showing significant levels of nuclear fallout poisoning.

Both academic and independent scholars are encouraged to apply by submitting a brief project proposal and timeline for completion. According to Brenner, past awards have gone to credentialed scholars, ranging from graduate students to practicing historians.

Brenner says SHSMO created the fellowship to enrich communities by fostering new scholarship and unique stories.

“We were looking for a new way to encourage good scholarship on Missouri’s history,” Brenner says. “We decided to focus this on trying to break new ground and exploring our past. We’re always trying to see what lessons we can learn from the past that might be useful today.”

For further information and to apply, head to shsmo.org/awards/center-fellowship