ACLS selects Javier Patiño Loira and David Kim for 2020 Fellowship Program

Published: April 13, 2020

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has selected UCLA Humanities faculty Javier Patiño Loira and David D. Kim for its 2020 Fellowship Program.

The ACLS Fellowship Program awards fellowships to scholars in the humanities and social sciences, not limited to any specific time period, world region, or humanistic methodology. Applicants submit a proposal for a major scholarly work and, if chosen as fellows, receive funding to complete their research over the course of six to 12 continuous months.

Loira is an assistant professor in the UCLA Department of Spanish & Portuguese, and Kim is an associate professor in the UCLA Department of Germanic Languages.

Loira’s abstract titled “Sharp Minds: Metaphor and the Cult of Ingenuity in an Age of Science (1639-1654)” presents his proposal to further examine the role of “conceits” in present-day discussions about geometry, optics, and medicine. Loira’s work will explore how these concepts impacted and shaped the writing of Italian and Spanish theorists.

Kim’s abstract titled “Beastly Citizens: An Occluded History of Rightlessness in Modernity” details his proposal to investigate the origins of the beast, an apolitical being, and the citizen—the highest form of political agency. Kim’s work will examine the presence of these beastly citizens in art, literature, and film where they serve to highlight struggles incited by colonial oppression, displacement following extreme events, or financial crises.

The ACLS Fellowship Program is made possible by the endowment of various individuals and institutions, including The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

By Jasdy Perillo