The University of Southern California’s (USC) Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) is thrilled to announce the recent award made by the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) to Dr. Peter Mancall and the USC-Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute (EMSI) based at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Dr. Peter Mancall previously received internal funding and support from OORI’s Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) unit under the Zumberge Award program, with the goal of using the internal funds to support and supplement their eventual submission to NEH.
The proposal team has received $500,000 in funding from NEH to lead their project, LA2026, which aims to foster meaningful public dialogue around the anniversary from a uniquely Southern Californian perspective. The grant will support the implementation of eighteen discussion events considering the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from the perspective of California and the West.
EMSI is a partnership between USC Dornsife and the Huntington Library and supports advanced research on human societies between 1450 and 1850. EMSI has a global focus, with an aim to advance knowledge of the diverse societies in and around the Atlantic and Pacific basins. EMSI was founded by Dr. Peter Mancall, who is the Linda and Harlan Martens Director of EMSI as well as Distinguished Professor of History, Anthropology, and Economics and Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities. The LA2026 project will be led by Dr. Mancall and Amy Braden, the Director of Programs at EMSI.
Congratulations to Dr. Mancall and the EMSI team on their successful proposal!