The Presbyterian Historical Society is pleased to announce the two recipients of 2012 Research Fellowship grants.
Christopher Schlect, a Ph.D. candidate at Washington State University, won for his project, "Battle for the Good Earth: Empire and Gender Meet Fundamentalism and Modernism." Schlect will focus particularly on the 1933 clash between novelist (and former Presbyterian missionary) Pearl S. Buck and her most vocal male critic, conservative theologian J. Gresham Machen.
Gene Zubovich, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, also received a grant to support his project, "Protestant Social Consciousness in the 1940s." In his work, Zubovich will trace the emergence of a liberal Protestant social and political agenda in the 1940s, focusing on the commitment of Protestant leaders to civil rights for African Americans, their advocacy of the United Nations and human rights, their public statements against Japanese Internment and colonialism, and their general encouragement of increased roles for women.
Each year, PHS awards at least two $2,500 research and travel grants that are made possible by the generous donations of its supporters. Scholars, students, and independent researchers are all encouraged to apply. For more information about the 2013 application process, click here to visit our website. Interviews with our 2011 research fellows, Shing-Ting Lin, and Beth Hessel-Robinson, are available for viewing on our YouTube channel.