Syracuse Sun

Eunjun Kim, an associate professor of cultural foundations of education in the School of Education and of women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a 2024-25 National Humanities Center (NHC) Fellowship.

During this fellowship, Kim will work on her new book “Dignity Archives: Accompanying the Dead and Posthumous Care.”

Kim is among 31 fellows chosen by NHC from 492 applicants. In addition to working on her research project, she will have the opportunity to share ideas in seminars, lectures, and conferences at the NHC, headquartered at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.

Kim’s book project examines the political work done by the dying and the dead and explores connections and disconnections around them.

“The collection of cases includes disabled people who were killed in an institution in Japan; factory workers who became disabled and terminally ill from toxic exposure; and people who died from neglect in an AIDS care facility in South Korea,” explains Kim. “By exploring the ways in which mourning and the demand for justice are intertwined in cultural and political discourses, my book aims to encourage others to rethink the primacy of autonomy, ability, and health in the understanding of dignity.”

“The National Humanities Center is the world’s only independent institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities,” says Beth Ferri, professor and associate dean for research in the School of Education. “NHC is a highly prestigious fellowship and former fellows have gone on win a number of distinguished awards, including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.”

Additionally, SOE is represented at NHC by Michael Gill, professor of disability studies and an NHC Resident Fellow, who is researching for his project, “Fermenting Stories: Exploring Ancestry, Embodiment and Place.”

The NHC promotes understanding of the humanities through its fellowships and advocates for their foundational role in a democratic society.