An Exciting Opportunity With the British Museum’s Endangered Material Knowledge Programme
The ITP team recently had the chance hear about another exciting programme which is hosted within the British Museum by the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. We thought that an upcoming opportunity with the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme might be of interest to some of our fellows:
The Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) was launched in 2018 and provides support and funding for documentation work on traditional material practices that are in some way threatened or in danger of disappearing. Scholars can apply for funding to spend time with communities recording practices. The use of film, audio recordings and photography is encouraged, with the aim to create a rich record of endangered material knowledge practices which will be made publically available through the EMKP digital repository.
One funded project from 2018 recorded the practice of Ashante gold casting in Ghana. This method of working gold is threatened by the reduction of local gold practice.
The EMKP aims to help preserve the knowledge of endangered material practices for future generations. In societies around the globe, locally-informed knowledge is in danger of being lost. Such knowledge has helped communities live and thrive in unique environments and unique cultural contexts. Recipients of grants will be working collaboratively with local communities, observing and recording their material practices.
Successful applicants will be provided support in the form of training at the British Museum to help them prepare for their fieldwork. This training also provides an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge between grantees.
Prospective applicants must be affiliated with an academic institution and are expected to have a PhD or to be currently enrolled in a PhD. Applicants are also expected to demonstrate some familiarity with the proposed fieldwork.
Applications are now open and can be completed online through the British Museum website. For more information about the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme, more information about the criteria for suitable applications and how to apply, visit the EMKP page on the British Museum website. More information can also be found EMKP website.
Good luck!