Barbara L. Packer Fellowship
Barbara L. Packer Fellowship supports scholars’ residential research and writing using American Antiquarian Society collections to study the Transcendentalists, especially Emerson, Fuller, and Thoreau.
Funder: American Antiquarian Society
Due Dates: January 15, 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $2,400 per month for one to two months
Summary: Supports residential scholarly research and writing on the Transcendentalists, especially Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau.
Key Information: Fellows must reside in Worcester, Massachusetts, to use the AAS library’s resources.
Description
The Barbara L. Packer Fellowship is administered by the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) as part of its one- to two-month residential academic research fellowship program. It supports scholarly research and writing related to the Transcendentalist movement generally, with particular emphasis on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau. Fellows use the Society’s library collections in Worcester, Massachusetts, for their projects.
The fellowship honors Barbara Lee Packer, who taught in UCLA’s English department for thirty years and wrote influential studies of Emerson and the Transcendentalists. In naming the fellowship for her, the Ralph Waldo Emerson Society recognizes her scholarship, teaching, and generosity toward fellow scholars, presenting her as a model for researchers newly entering the field.
