Black Memory and the Afterlives of Slavery

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) at The Ohio State University invites applications for its 2026 Summer Residency Program. From July 20 to 27, 2026, the department will host eight Ph.D. students whose research examines plantation logics, epistemologies, and geographies of slavery and its afterlives. We especially encourage applications from candidates whose work also engages community-based practices of memory and oral history related to slavery and its aftermaths. Candidates whose projects explore slavery and memory beyond the United States are also encouraged to apply. 

Students who have advanced to candidacy in their respective Ph.D. programs are welcome to apply. Participants will spend one week at Ohio State’s main campus in Columbus, including the AAAS Community Extension Center. They will engage in a series of research workshops hosted by the department and its affiliates, advance a project relating to the conference theme under the guidance of Ohio State faculty, and collaborate with the greater Columbus community. There will also be a special workshop and public lecture. 

Participants will receive up to $750 in travel funds, lodging at the Blackwell Inn on Ohio State’s campus, a $500 stipend, meals, and curated networking opportunities. 

The Ohio State University is home to multiple programs of relevance to emerging scholars studying slavery and its legacies, including the Community Extension Center in the historic King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood and the Ohio Prison Education Exchange Project.  

Apply now through April 19, 2026. Selected candidates will be notified by May 8, 2026. Interested candidates should submit a CV, a brief letter of application explaining how their projects intersect with the residency’s theme (500-word maximum), and a writing sample (limited to 3,000 words) reflective of the sort of project they would like to advance during their time in the residency program. For inquiries and submissions, please visit  ASC-AAASSummerResidency@osu.edu