Carolyn Barnwell, Middlebury College
Islands of Justice: Rising Seas and Climate Refugees in Oceania
Tuvalu, New Zealand, Mauritius, Palau, Micronesia, Fiji
Although people living on vulnerable, low-lying islands are not primarily responsible for catalyzing climate change, they experience its worst effects. Coastal landscapes and resource availability are transforming; floods due to rising sea levels could displace up to 100 million "climate refugees." Do islanders see becoming climate refugees as opportunity or exile? How do they perceive the coming changes, and how do they plan to respond? I will explore how and why islanders think about justice, maintain social networks, and adapt as they battle the rising seas.

Marlon Bishop, Wesleyan University
From Punta to Palos: Exploring the Hidden Afro-Latino Musics
Dominican Republic, Honduras, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil
Music in the Americas is a mix of European, indigenous, and African elements. While Latin American pop styles, such as salsa, reflect African roots, they are merely the surface. Hidden below is a wealth of Afro-Latino traditions scattered across the hemisphere. I will explore five distinct Latin American musical styles and their sub-cultures. By entering musical communities and working with musicians, I will gain an understanding of how African music manifests itself differently in various New World contexts, facilitating my growth as both a scholar and a musician.

Kristin Bresnahan, Rice University
...And Justice for All: Exploring World Societies through Legal Cultures
Colombia*, Peru, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, The Netherlands
I am on a journey to find the true meaning of justice. Justice is a concept understood throughout the world; it naturally manifests itself in all cultures and it is a common thread that connects us all. I will dedicate this year to exploring cultures of justice around the world by investigating its cultural foundations, as well as through methodological analysis of its systems. I will thus identify the societal role of justice, the way in which culture affects its execution, and the bottom-line necessities for its fair and efficient delivery.

Sabrinah Christie, Hendrix College
Female Beauty and Body Alteration
Jamaica, China, United Kingdom, Mexico
I want to investigate body alteration as influenced by improbable female beauty ideals in cultures around the world. I will investigate the recent phenomenon of skin bleaching among working class Jamaican women, the resurgence of tight-lace corseting in England, the repercussions of beauty reinterpretation on Chinese women with bound feet, and the popularity of rhinoplasty as a means for Mexican women to obtain a more "Caucasian" rather than "mestizo" appearance. In each culture I will consider the interpretations of practitioners and health care professionals.

Casey Drosehn, Williams College
Guardian Grandmothers: Life Stories of the Eastern European Babushki
Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Montenegro, Albania
I will visit five different Eastern European nations, each of which has endured a century of upheaval and a range of outside influences. In these countries, I will observe and interview women born around or before 1950. During these exchanges, my focus will be to see what they value most by looking at what they have attempted to keep-what memories, what mementos, what relationships and ideas. I want to learn from their stories how they and the cultures they embody have resisted, endured, and succumbed to change. Through a century of destruction, what has survived?

Mayisha Ealey, Spelman College
The Flavors of Jazz Music: Cultural and Generational Influences
Brazil, Peru, France, Denmark, Ghana, South Africa
Jazz cannot be confined to Webster's definition as "a kind of music played by black musicians in the southern United States..." The vast beauty and dynamic nature of jazz is linked to the ways in which different cultures and regions interpret the art form. My project entails researching varied vocal and instrumental styles of international jazz musicians. I will also explore jazz appreciation amongst youth and young adults to see how music traditions are used as a means of bridging generational gaps.

Cotton Estes, Bowdoin College
"Only That Endures which Changes:" Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Sites
Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Germany, England and Turkey
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the "Grand Tour" was common practice among aspiring architects, who spent years investigating foreign architecture. Once returning home, their fresh and international perspectives proved instrumental in advancing architecture. In my contemporary version of the Grand Tour, I will examine how recent social changes have granted a new lease on life to abandoned factories and mills across Europe. As in the Grand Tour, I will learn from architectural example through interpretive drawings and personal engagement with each site.

Geoffrey Finger, Reed College
Moving Beyond the Stage: Exploring Dance as Choreography for Social Change
Australia, New Zealand, Brazil
How do different cultures embody their beliefs in the social value of dance? More important, how are programs effectively enacting a commitment to dance as a powerful tool for community development? I will explore and collaborate with a wide range of dance outreach programs, some founded by national dance councils and others run by private dance companies. My engagement with these programs will show me the problems and successes of moving dance beyond the stage and into underserved communities.

Isaac Garcia-Munoz, California Institute of Technology
Tracing the Vibrations
Spain, Chile, Argentina
Documenting the production and evolution of musical instruments is of great importance because communication through music is an integral part of most cultures. I plan to trace the history of musical instruments in Spain and South America, focusing particularly on manufacturing and playing techniques. My goal is to share my perspective on the current status of the styles of music and enrich this cultural aspect known as music by introducing a new instrument that will be a combination of what I have learned in my studies.

Alia Gurtov, Wellesley College
Nations Made of Bones: Paleoanthropology in a National Context
Ethiopia, South Africa, Spain, France, Germany, China
This project takes me to six countries with hominid fossil sites where I can study the relationship among people, their nation, and the discipline of paleoanthropology. Specifically, the project explores the influence of nationalism on hominid site interpretations and the subsequent use of those interpretations in Ethiopia, South Africa, Spain, France, Germany and China. My aim in this exploration is to gain a working understanding of the complexity of the paleoanthropological discipline and the ethical issues it involves.

Syeda Hamadani, University of the South
Discovering the Hispano-Muslim Identity: The Legacy of Muslim Influence
Morocco, Spain, Peru, Venezuela, and Argentina
Having ruled most of the Iberian peninsula for 800 years, Muslims have left a permanent mark on Spain and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. Currently, with a new wave of immigration from the Middle East and South Asia, Muslim influences have been revitalized and taken on a new form in the Spanish-speaking world. Being an immigrant, a Muslim, and student of Spanish myself, I seek to discover the beauty of the Muslim past and its current dynamics as it pertains to the Hispano-Muslim identity.

Daniel Hammer, Swarthmore College
Spreading the Gospel: Boatbuilding and Canoe Culture in the South Pacific
The Marshall Islands, Palau, Tahiti
Outrigger canoes are functioning artifacts of South Pacific heritage. The boats, once used for fishing and voyaging, are now built to race: the sport has reached global dimensions, placing a newfound pressure on canoe design. There is now a foreign demand for sleeker and lighter boats -- crafted for racing, not fishing. But by altering the designs, traditional builders risk losing a direct tie to their heritage. I will apprentice with the local craftsmen, race the boats they build, and learn how they are addressing the changing character of canoe culture.

Gabriel Harrell, Bard College
Folk Puppetry: Performance and Craft in Agrarian and Religious Calendars
Greece, Turkey, Egypt, India, Myanmar
This project seeks to explore the craft and performance of folk puppetry existing within agrarian and religious ritual calendars. As I follow several ancient forms of puppetry performance across national, linguistic, religious and cultural borders, I will immerse myself in the puppet traditions by participating directly in the rehearsal and performance process, and enter into a cultural and artistic dialogue with the practitioners who have kept these art forms alive, as authentic folk puppetry is quickly vanishing across the globe.

Joshua Harris, University of the South
Riding on Blades and Rails: Ice Hockey and Train Travel in Slavic Europe
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary
My Watson year involves discovering myself and the world through travel and ice hockey all across Slavic nations. My love of Slavic culture combines with my insatiable love of hockey and hockey culture to form a dream year. As I engage my passions for travel, Slavic culture, and hockey in distant lands, I'll improve my language skills, my cultural sensitivity, and, no doubt, my game as well.

Omer Hashmi, Davidson College
Madrasas in Modernity: Educating Islam for Future Muslims
Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, India, New Zealand
I wish to see how young Muslims living in immigrant communities educate themselves in their modern societies. How do these Muslims retain their religious identities (if at all) in increasingly secular, cynical, materialistic, and sometimes hostile environments? In order to approach this question, I must explore the basic institution of Islamic education: the madrasa. In particular, I would like to explore the influence of local traditions on exported Islamic standards, the culture of modernity, and the question of identity.

Matthew Herceg, Pitzer College
Film and Football Mythopoeia: Capturing/Creating the Beautiful Game
Denmark, Brazil, Argentina, Ghana, Austria, Switzerland
As an act of mass media subversion, and with joyful reverence for the beautiful game, I will travel to the holy sites of South American football, the Homeless World Cup, the African Cup of Nations, and the European Championships to experience contemporary expressions of football culture, and to create a film that engages the myths of football and the memories of football fanatics.

Adam Hermans, Colgate University
Wise Old Men of the Forest: Films of Primate Appreciation and Conservation
Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Madagascar, South Africa
Primates have long been the poster boys (and girls) of conservation. Yet, and perhaps more than ever, primate species around the world are threatened by loss of habitat. I hope to experience some of the more obscure and thus overlooked Old World primates and to document this experience by composing two films. The first film will focus on the arresting beauty of the primates and their respective habitats. The second film will address the challenges to primate conservation as seen through the eyes and lives of their nearest human neighbors.

Juan Hoffmaister, College of the Atlantic
Changing Climate: Community response to water crises in extreme weather
Greenland, Namibia, Malvides, Chile, Germany
The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events have not only increased over the past few decades but have disrupted and ruined the lives of millions. Small communities are adapting to these changes. In addition to compiling the lessons gained by individuals, small communities, and organizations that have confronted weather challenges, particularly those related to water and its effect on biodiversity and agricultural production, I will convey these lessons to policymakers so that the concerns and needs of vulnerable communities are part of the global debate.

Micha Jackson, Lawrence University
Treatment of Marine Resources: Conservation Across Cultures
Palau, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Australia
I will compare and contrast approaches to conservation in different coastal cultures, especially with respect to their treatment of marine resources. My driving curiosity is how a conservation ethic is developed within different historical and cultural contexts, and how local factors interact with government policies.

Caitlin Jacobs, Hamilton College
An Examination of the Coexistence of Big Cats and Humans
Belize, Spain, Namibia, Tibet
As the human population encroaches into natural habitats, big cats and humans increasingly must compete for living space and food. This competition creates conflict between big cat and human communities, and both groups suffer as a result. I seek to understand how humans and big cats can coexist. Through living and working in communities and volunteering with conservation organizations, I will investigate the relationship between big cats and humans; the hardships that big cats inflict on communities; and the efforts of conservation groups to minimize the conflict.

Nathan Leamy, Oberlin College
From Farm to Fork: Eating in the Wake of the Green Revolution
Mexico, France, India
The Green Revolution, a series of agricultural reforms that began in the 1960s, has changed the lives of millions of people worldwide. In my project, I will study the impact of wheat hybridization in Mexico, France, and India. By spending time working with farmers, cooks, scientists, and political groups I will explore the effects these changes have had on farming techniques, cuisine, and agricultural politics worldwide.

Zorba Leslie, University of Puget Sound
Finding Justice: Learning to Reconcile the Past to Live the Present
Chile, South Africa, Rwanda, Cambodia
Over the course of twelve months I will seek to assess the effectiveness of the retributive and restorative methods of securing justice available to post-conflict societies as they attempt to strike a balance between forgiveness and vengeance. I will ask how conventional courts compare to truth and reconciliation commissions in their ability to meet the needs of individuals, communities and nation-building. Ultimately, I hope to better understand how to most effectively focus my personal and professional efforts to achieve justice.

Kendra Loebs, University of Puget Sound
Exploring Biology and Belief in the Manual Management of Chronic Pain
Morocco, India, Thailand, Japan, Tonga
Ancient manual therapies such as massage, anatomical manipulation, and energy healing continue to hold great medical significance in many cultures. Because these traditions recognize the mind-body paradigm in healing, they are particularly effective in the management of chronic pain. I will study manual medical traditions around the world to understand the respective roles of physiology and spirituality in theory and technique, and also to understand the role that these complementary treatments, and the healers who utilize them, play in managing chronic pain.

Ben Long, Washington and Lee University
Bovine Bonanza: The Changing Face of Cattle Farming
Argentina, Turkey, South Africa, China, India, Switzerland
Cows are present in almost every country in the world. They serve many different functions within society. I will witness cows as religious symbols, a life-line to nomadic people, best friends and as a bottom-line for business. Cattle farming is constantly evolving, but not necessarily at the same rate in each country. I want to study how cattle farming is changing around the world. By living on vastly different farms in vastly different countries, I hope to gain a better understanding of the cultural interaction between farmers and their cows.

Catherine Macdonald, Amherst College
Unsustainable Enmity: Human-Shark Interaction and Shoreline Communities
South Africa, Australia, The Bahamas
I propose to study the history of human-shark interaction and the social and economic role of sharks in shoreline communities, exploring how the past and the popular media have shaped modern attitudes towards sharks and shark conservation. I want to examine the perspectives of people who live in close proximity to sharks and tourists who seek out "shark experiences." I hope, ultimately, for a more complete understanding of what humans are looking for in-or from-the sharks.

Jeffrey Maguire, Reed College
From Drag Queens to Deities: Exploring Cultural Responses to HIV/AIDS
Ukraine, China, India, Ethiopia
In Karnataka, a state of India, an NGO has created AIDS-Amma, or AIDS Mother, a deity whose shrine is being utilized as a teaching space for HIV/AIDS education. On the other end of the spectrum, NGOs in America are employing drag queens in gay white male bars and bathhouses as HIV educators. My project is to explore the methods of culturally tailored HIV/AIDS education to those at the highest risk of contracting HIV - commercial sex workers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and prisoners - in those nations which have rapidly exploding epidemics.

Caitlin McDonald, Scripps College
The Bushmeat Problem: An Exploration of Illegal Wildlife Consumption
Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana
Although killing wild animals for human consumption is nothing new, its impact on endangered species is. In a world where population growth and development jeopardize the sustainability of much of our wildlife, the negative effects of illegal hunting are amplified. Aptly named "The bushmeat trade," this underground enterprise is prominent in many countries. I will investigate the complexities of the bushmeat trade in a variety of African nations, seeking to understand what cultural, economic, political, and environmental parameters limit and encourage this practice.

Nicholas Michlewicz, Amherst College
Dark Side of a Game: The Exploitation of European Soccer Fan Violence
England, Spain, Poland, Croatia, France, Turkey
Soccer fan rivalry has historically assumed divisions of nation, religion, politics, class, race, and ethnicity. These intense divisions are manipulated by various societal forces and often culminate in serious fan violence, especially in Europe. I will examine the reasons why European soccer fan violence has, instead of being controlled, been furthered and exploited by political and business interests. By working with journalists, scholars, fans, team officials, and politicians, I want to explore how to retain the joy of soccer fandom while eliminating its brutality.

Elia Mrak-Blumberg, Pomona College
Dancing at the Crossroads: Eastern Europe's Search for New Cultural Identity
Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Austria
There is a frenetic buzz swirling around dance in Eastern Europe right now. Released from oppressive political, economic, and social systems, these nations are searching for a new cultural identity through modern dance. I will spend my year at the nexus of major cultural and economic shifts that produce tremendous creative energy. I will immerse myself in local dance companies and participate in regional dance festivals. In light of new political freedoms and a market-based economy, I will study how dancers embrace and grapple with their newfound artistic freedom.

Auyon Mukharji, Williams College
A Fine Balance: Self-Expression and Cultural Fidelity in Traditional Musics
Ireland, Brazil, Turkey
In countries where traditional music is completely intertwined with culture and society, music exists not only as a personal outlet for musicians, but also as a link to history and ancestry. My project is to determine where the balance lies between self-expression and loyalty to tradition for such folk musicians across three very different musical cultures. I intend to carry out this study both by interacting with and interviewing musicians, as well as by exploring and comparing how much room for self-expression is encouraged in traditional musical instruction.

Kathryn Newman, Bard College
A Child's World: The Cultural Exhibit in the Children's Museum
Australia, United Arab Emirates, India, Argentina
I will examine the cultural exhibit in the children's museum-with all its potential triumphs and pitfalls-and the cultural place of the children's museum in the larger global community. By working with children's museums and local schools, I seek to better understand the role of children within their own communities; the way they are introduced to other cultures and its effect on their worldview; the way that they learn through "play," and consequently, cultural ideas of pleasure.

Benjamin Padgett, University of the South
Tales of Deep Time: Profit, Science, Perception and the Global Fossil Trade
Morocco, Germany, Poland, Russia, Britain, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, China, Mongolia
Fossils tell incredibly rich stories about the life of the past, but these relics can also shed light on the present. To some, they are evolutionary heirlooms - to others, valuable commodities. By exploring the world's famous fossil producing regions, I hope to discover how the cultural, scientific and economic value of fossils from around the world is influenced by the human perception of ancient life. I will immerse myself in the turbulent travels of resurrected fossils in search of the secret thread connecting the past and the present.

Hilary Palevsky, Amherst College
Inside the Atlantic Cod Fishery: In Search of a Sustainable Future
Iceland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Canada
As cod populations in the North Atlantic dwindle from overfishing, both the fish and fishing communities' futures are in jeopardy. For the fishery to remain viable, international coalitions of scientists, fishermen, and government regulators must develop better approaches to management. I will spend time on fishing boats and research vessels, working in laboratories, and speaking with policy advisors to see the inner workings of the fishery. I will seek new management strategies by making connections between fishery stakeholders who would not otherwise communicate.

Sarah Parker, Grinnell College
Innovative Traditional Music: Marimba and Youth Culture in Southern Africa
Botswana, Namibia, South Africa
The African marimba is widely utilized in southern African schools, where students play both traditional pieces and modern compositions. I will study the role of marimba music in education and its impact on youth culture in Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia by playing with and observing school marimba ensembles and the role of these ensembles in students' lives and the wider community. To establish cultural and historical context in each region, I will attend public events such as marimba performances and conduct interviews with academic and professional musicians.

Joel Parsons, Rhodes College
It Will Not Avert Its Eyes: Toward a New Activist Aesthetic
Italy, Turkey, India, South Africa, Peru
I will explore the boundaries of a humanized activist aesthetic, one in which art serves as a means of developing relationships and acts as a bridge rather than a wall or soapbox, transforming the 'marginalized other' into a person and collaborator. Both the process of producing art according to this paradigm (in effect democratizing what is generally an elitist practice) and the content of the art that is produced will challenge and inform my own conception of the ways that art can function in society and help me, as a young artist, to develop my own aesthetic.

Khoa Pham, Bates College
Exploring Global Vietnamese Youth in Search of Identity
France, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Japan, Australia
The Vietnamese Diaspora nowadays boasts three million people in over 50 countries. I propose to study Vietnamese youth abroad to explore commonalities and differences in these communities. What creates these differences and commonalities? Was it because of the Vietnam War, the culture, society and politics of the host countries, family or education? In answering these questions, I will gain an insight into the complexities of young Vietnamese around the globe. Ultimately, I hope to better understand my identity as a Vietnamese.

Sarah Politz, Oberlin College
The Influence of African-American Music on Contemporary African Society
Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Guinea, South Africa
I will study the interaction of native African, contemporary popular, and American jazz music in modern African society. I will spend my Watson year traveling to Ghana, Senegal, Benin, Guinea, and South Africa to explore the following questions: What happens when an African-American form, jazz, comes back into one of its constituent parts, African society? How do African cultures combine popular and jazz music with their own native music and traditions? What are the various ways in which music is connected with culture, history, tradition, and memory?

Amy Reid, Davidson College
So...What Are You?
Brazil, Namibia
I am the biracial daughter of a black father and white mother. I will explore multiracial identity development of individuals who are a mix between races that have conflicted historically. How does one reconcile being part one race that was, and maybe still is, the suppressor of the race that forms their other half? My quest will take me to Brazil and Namibia to interview multiracial people. At the end of my journey, I hope I am able to better answer the question: "So...what are you?" to others, and more importantly, to myself.

Wei Ren, Williams College
Men with no Faces-Lives and Works of Chinese Artists in Exile
Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia
My project will explore the diaspora world of Chinese art in six countries. The migration of Chinese artists to foreign lands during the past two decades has established a visual culture of their own group. Intrigued by the question of identity and how that is reflected in art, I hope to understand how the diaspora artists deal with the dramatic transition from their home to host countries in both language and culture. The art that they produce is shaped by their dramatic personal experiences, their nostalgia for China, and the new environment in the host countries.

Katherine Ringler, Ursinus College
A Mission of Charity: Following the Footsteps of Mother Teresa
Macedonia, Ireland, India, Venezuela, Italy, Tanzania, China
Through her simple manner of service, Mother Teresa was able to have a great impact on the world around her. Additionally, each place she went she gained something new for herself and her mission. In my Watson year, I will look at how different cultures, places, and people affected her and aided in her development of an international service organization. By following the path of Mother Teresa and examining the way she established her vision and made it a reality, I will gain a model that I can apply to my own life and future ambitions.

Fred Rweru, Berea College
Leather, Willow and Empire: Cricket's "Mutation" in former British Colonies
United Kingdom, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, India, Australia
With the Watson Fellowship, I hope to study how and why cricket has uniquely altered or "mutated" in four major cricketing regions of the world, and "corners" of the former British Empire. I intend to thoroughly examine, experience, and study four exhilarating aspects of cricket: its medieval development and socio-political context in the British Empire in England, cross-batting and fast-bowling in the West Indies, spin-bowling in India, and cricket's scientific and technological innovation in Australia.

Sathyavani Sathisan, Middlebury College
Community Drama on the Global Stage - The Socio-Political Usage of Theatre
Malaysia, Australia, India, South Africa, Argentina
I want to explore theatre as an informal system of education and empowerment. Socio-political theatre range from predominantly urban-based modern plays and musicals to street theater and puppet theater which are often performed in rural localities. My research will involve an analysis of theater employed by drama artistes as well as social activists, and an exploration of how radical theatre contributes to a culture of peace and progress by combating social and political ills.

Leigh Senderowicz, Wesleyan University
Taboo and Tolerance: Reproductive Health Choices in Cultural Context
Peru, Senegal, South Africa and Turkey
Decisions regarding reproductive health care face people the world over, but different cultural climates lead to different options available to women. Through this fellowship, I will look at access to reproductive health care and the implications of this for women's health in four different legal, religious and cultural contexts. I will spend my Watson year engaging with what women do around the world when they face reproductive health decisions. I will try to answer questions about what forces are at play and how they join together to create the reproductive health reality of a nation, of a city, and of a woman. How do larger international forces interact with grassroots organizations to create each country's reproductive health context? What is being done to help women make safe choices and what is being done to stop them? What other options are available? I will look at how women's health is affected by the laws of a nation, the dictates of culture, the directives of religion, the politics of international development organizations, and the values of the women themselves.

Jean Sun, California Institute of Technology
The Bioethics of Healthcare Distribution across the Urban-Rural Divide
Switzerland, China, South Africa, United Kingdom
I plan to explore the disparities in healthcare standards between urban and rural areas. I will compare the developing nations of China and South Africa with the United Kingdom. Specifically, I am interested in whether these disparities are the result of inequitable distribution of resources or differences in medical ideology. My project involves an observation component, where I will shadow healthcare professionals; an immersion component, where I will volunteer as a medic; and a research component, where I will interview physicians, patients, and bioethicists.

Whitney Tipton, Scripps College
Borders & Bars: A Cross-National Conversation with Women in Prison
Netherlands, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa
For my project, I will study the ways in which various countries address their female prison populations. Focusing on progressive and rehabilitative strategies, I seek to understand what works, how it is accomplished, and how it compares to alternative approaches. In each country, I will interact with service providers and scholars as well as with women "inside." Ultimately, by serving the communities I visit as well as those to which I return, I hope to play a role in de-fragmenting our varied and too often ineffective approaches to this global issue.

Nikolai von Keller, Bowdoin College
The Birthplace of Poetry: Tracing the Roots of Non-Western Tradition
Chile, Peru, Japan, Trinidad & Tobago
I wish to study the effect of place upon poetry. The Spanish poets Pablo Neruda and Cesar Vallejo, the Japanese poets Basho, Buson, and Issa, and the Caribbean poet Derek Walcott all write in styles uniquely disconnected from the Western poetic tradition, and I attribute this to the fact that they were raised with different histories, cultures, and landscapes. I believe the only way to understand them is to follow in their footsteps, emulate their experiences, and seek out the specific roots of their creativity.

Derron Wallace, Wheaton College
When My Soul's On Fire: Tracing & Exploring Engaged Pentecostalism
Trinidad & Tobago, Ghana, Ethiopia, United Kingdom, Kenya*, Guatemala
Pentecostalism is spreading like wildfire across the world. What is intriguing about this fast growing religious and social phenomenon across regional borders, cultural enclaves and theological differences is its expanding relationship with community engagement and social transformation. By collecting oral histories, praying and serving with local parishioners during my year as a Watson Fellow, my soul will explore culturally rich hybrid expressions of 'engaged Pentecostalism', a variant that deems faith inseparable from community involvement and social change.

Markus Weise, Ursinus College
"On your left!": Making and Maintaining Bicycle Culture in Cities
Namibia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Tanzania
Any object can assume different purposes or values in different cultures. I intend to see how the bicycle is viewed by a range of cultures. The value and purpose of the bicycle is reflected not only in the physical space it receives on roads, sidewalks, or bike paths, but also in the minds and attitudes of the people. As a Watson Fellow, I hope to examine how cultures and cities without historic bicycle culture deal with creating a cycling space, as well as seeing how cities with historic bicycle cultures deal with the challenges to and maintenance of cycling space.

Amanda Young, Bryn Mawr College
A Revolutionary Quiet: Exploring Libraries in Transition
The Netherlands, Vietnam, Cambodia, El Salvador, Rwanda, South Africa
Libraries are often considered symbols of a free and democratic society and in recent years there has been an effort to bring libraries and their services to all corners of the earth. But libraries cannot exist in the same form in every country and in every community they serve. In my Watson year I will explore how libraries are operating in, adapting to, and impacting their communities in developing countries, countries emerging from a recent traumatic history, and in a Western nation that is adapting to the presence and the needs of a large immigrant community.



*Travel to this country is permitted only if the U. S. State Department lifts its travel warning.