Short Description
South Asian textiles form a crucial part of local as well as global histories. The MAP Academy & Nalli Fellowships will support South Asia-based projects that generate new interest in the region’s textile practices among diverse audiences. The Fellowships combine Nalli Silks’ focus area of textile production and design, with the MAP Academy’s vision of fostering incisive research in the study of art histories from South Asia.
The Fellowship programme supports research into under-explored textile-related histories, practices, and traditions across South Asia. Applicants may propose projects on any textile-centric subject. The following areas of research are encouraged:
- Histories of clothing and costume
- Community or personal textile archives
- Textiles in religious or liturgical contexts
- Environmental impact of textile production and consumption
- Endangered or disappearing textile traditions
- Critical perspectives on revivalism
- Labour in textile production, with a focus on caste, class, and gender
- Textiles in relation to other cultural forms—storytelling, poetry, music, architecture, and material culture
- Textiles in the context of archaeological study
- Textiles as symbols or metaphors in literature or mythology
- Techniques and tools used in specific textile traditions
The Fellowship supports a range of formats for research outcomes, including but not limited to:
- Journalistic inquiry
- Documentary film
- Archive activation
- Practice-based research
- Archive generation
- Digitisation and documentation initiatives
Eligibility
The Fellowship is open to early- and mid-career professionals. We invite applications from researchers as well as designers, archivists, journalists, writers, educators, practitioners, and also collectives and non-profit organisations.
The Fellowship supports projects examining textiles from South Asia — covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tibet.
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
Successful applicants to the Fellowships will each receive up to INR 5.5 lakhs towards project execution.
Entry Fee
None
Location
Massachusetts, USA
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 15 October 2025
Website Link: https://mapacademy.io/the-map-academy-nalli-fellowships/
