CUHK makes way to National Humanities Center Fellowship
Prof. Eli Park Sorensen (2nd right, 4th row from top) is among the NHC Fellows of 2020–21 who are chosen from over 600 candidates worldwide.
Established in 1978, the National Humanities Center (NHC) is the world’s only independent institution exclusively dedicated to fostering advanced research in the humanities. Over 1,400 scholars from nearly 40 nations have been in residence since its inception. They have produced over 1,600 books, many of which have won top awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bancroft Prize. Considered among the most prestigious in the world, the NHC Residential Fellowships provide opportunities for scholars to engage in advanced humanities.
Prof. Eli Park Sorensen of the Department of English is the first fellow from CUHK who is selected from 600 candidates worldwide. Due to the pandemic, Prof. Sorensen undertook his fellowship in the spring term virtually instead of physically in a residential setting. He participated in online group meetings, reading groups and individual Zoom sessions, and gave a presentation on his research. During the fellowship, Prof. Sorensen worked on a project about Korean adoption literature which investigates the challenging issue of international adoption through an examination of Korean adoption narratives written by people born in Korea and adopted abroad. ’The fellowship is a great opportunity to engage in research and receive instant feedback from fellow humanities scholars from across the world. I received a lot of great input, suggestions, and useful advice—both in relation to the scholarly work and on many practical issues.’ Prof. Sorensen plans to collaborate further with some of the NHC fellows in the future.
Prof. Sorensen is very impressed with the resources offered by NHC. ‘It has a wonderfully supportive library team that will get any material you need. Every week there are talks by influential people, including editors from major magazines and publishers. I strongly recommend any humanities scholar at CUHK to apply for this fellowship.’
The programme invites nominations from the Faculties concerned annually. Please refer to the website for more details.