Joseph Z. Johnson, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, and K. Ermelinda García, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History — both within the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington — have been named 2024 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows. The Fellowship is sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies, with financial support from the Mellon Foundation.

ACLS launched fellowship program in 2023 “to advance a vision for doctoral education that prioritizes openness to new methods and sources, underrepresented voices and perspectives, and scholarly experimentation,” according to the Society.

Ph.D. candidate Joseph Johnson

Johnson’s dissertation is “Black Banjo Bodylands: Recovering an African-American Instrument.” His research indexes the relationships and simultaneous co-constructions of banjos, the Black bodies that activate them as spiritual technology, and the lands across, through, and on which these entities exist. It explores the material and spiritual scope of contemporary black banjo bodylands in the San Francisco Bay area by weaving together ethnography, public programming, banjo building, and music performance.

A love for music and public service have always been central to Joseph’s life, and part of why he chose to pursue a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology with an emphasis on Public Practice and a minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies.

Ph.D. candidate K. Ermelinda García

García’s dissertation is “Constructing Ties: Chosen Families and Intimacy among Women in Mexico City’s Ambiente, 1970-2023.” Through oral history interviews and archival exploration, their research centers the chosen families of women in Mexico City’s LGBT community and illustrates how individuals have found one another over time. They intend to build a holistic LGBT women’s history by focusing on emotional and interpersonal dynamics, ultimately highlighting the importance of community in constructing an environment in which queer people not only survive but thrive.

“When marginalized groups show up in the public consciousness, it is often because their political efforts to win rights and win respect have been noticed,” García’s advisor Peter Guardino said. “One of the most important things about Linda’s research is that it moves beyond the politics to get at the ways in which queer people have made lives for themselves, forming friendships and families in a society that for decades tried to isolate them and make them invisible.”

Long drawn to the power of archives and qualitative research methods, García has built on their experience with public libraries and local histories by applying sociological perspectives to fieldwork focused on Mexican history.

“When you consider that humanities doctorates in fields like History or English can take eight years to complete (the national average) given the travel and archival research required to gather the information needed to write a monograph-length dissertation, a fellowship like the ACLS can make all the difference,” said Amrita Chakrabarti Myers, director of graduate studies for the Department of History and a 2017-18 ACLS Fellow. “It can lead to someone finishing in a timely fashion and producing high quality work as opposed to someone who takes extra years to produce a dissertation that is lesser in quality, in large part because students without such fellowships often have to work to support themselves while trying to research and write.”

According to ACLS, each Fellow receives an award of up to $50,000, consisting of a $40,000 stipend for the fellowship year; up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, professional development, and travel expenses; and a $2,000 stipend to support external mentorship that offers new perspectives on the fellow’s project and expands their advising network. With Fellows pursuing their research across the country and beyond, ACLS will also provide opportunities for virtual networking and scholarly programming throughout the fellows’ award terms.

ACLS employed a rigorous, interdisciplinary peer review process to select this year’s 45 fellows from a pool of more than 700 applicants, representing over 125 Americans universities across dozens of humanistic disciplines.

“We are absolutely thrilled to learn that Joe has been recognized with such a prestigious award,” said David McDonald, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology. “His work is innovative, timely, and perfectly embodies the tenets of Mellon/ACLS fellowship for dissertation innovation. Through a rich combination of folklore and ethnomusicology methods, Joe takes a holistic approach to the study of Black America focused on the musical, spiritual, and political importance of the banjo.”

“We look forward to following the progress of these remarkable emerging scholars as they explore new research methodologies, forge collaborative partnerships in the co-creation of knowledge, and engage new audiences for humanistic scholarship,” said John Paul Christy, Senior Director of US Programs at ACLS. “Each of these awards is an opportunity for the sector to learn about approaches to fostering the evolution of doctoral education.”

After finishing his Ph.D., Johnson sees himself interweaving “academic scholarship with performance arts, ritual practices, and public programming,” he said. While he remains interested teaching at a collegiate level, Johnson is also open and interested in creating public-facing art projects that magnify African American roots music.

Looking ahead, García plans to continue collaborating with academics in Mexico and in the U.S. as an outgrowth of the work García’s undergraduate mentors introduced to them through the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program.

“I would love for any future work I do to focus on community building and serving in an academic environment in some sort of mentorship or teaching capacity,” García said. “At the center of all that I do is a profound love for people, learning, and history. I would love to be able to combine this love for all three into a career regardless of the specifics of what that looks like.”

A Xenia, Ohio, native, Johnson pursued an undergraduate dual degree in Music Performance and Ethnomusicology at Bowling Green State University. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, García earned their undergraduate degree in History, Spanish and Latin American and Latino/a Studies from Grand Valley State University. Both were drawn to Indiana University’s College of Arts and Sciences to pursue their M.A. and Ph.D.