Department of History and Archaeology & School of Humanities and Social Sciences Offers Fatima Hamid Fieldwork Grant 2026-27: Applications Open



Fatima Hamid joined the Department of History, Shiv Nadar University as a PhD research scholar in August 2021 to work on the history and  diasporic migration of the Lhasa Khache, a Tibetan Muslim community repatriated and now settled in India. Her innovative project was to be based on material culture, ethnography, and archival research, which would have required her to spend extended periods of study in Srinagar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kathmandu.  She was also passionately interested in writing and giving voice to the Himalayan peoples of Eastern India, which led her to co-found an online forum called The Pomelo.

In February 2022, Fatima was in Darjeeling to collect ethnographic data on women and their memories of the diasporic movement from Tibet. Unfortunately, we lost her in that month, and as her peers and teachers, we continue to feel her loss. In her memory, the Fatima Hamid Field Work Grant has been instituted by the Department of History and Archaeology and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Applications for the 2026-2027 Grant cycle are now open. The award is for a sum of Rs 50,000/

  1. Doctoral scholars from the 2nd year onwards of their programme are eligible to apply
  2. The proposed research project should include one or more of the following categories:
  3. Oral History
  4. Ethnography

iii. Field Survey

  1. Archival Work
  2. Material Culture Studies.

Interested applicants are requested to email the following documents to the Head of Department, Dr. Hemanth Kadambi before 10 January 2026 for consideration:

  1. A brief synopsis of the research project (max.1200 words)
  2. Details of budget for the fieldwork grant
  3. Names and details of archival material to be consulted or place of fieldwork/details of respondents during the research period.

The submitted proposals will be reviewed by a three-member Departmental Committee, which will declare the result by 20th January.

Following the declaration of the result, the student to whom the grant is awarded can proceed for archival work / field work anytime between April 2026-February 2027, and receive the amount upon submission of bills.

The successful applicant must submit a work-in-progress report to the HoD and Ph.D. supervisor within two months of completing the archival/field work.

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