The State Historical Society of Missouri is seeking proposals for two Gary R. Kremer Center for Missouri Studies fellowships to begin January 1, 2027. Each fellowship carries a stipend of $5,000 for a project resulting in a scholarly essay on one of the two topics listed below. Proposals must be submitted by Sept. 8, 2026.
Topics for 2027 Center for Missouri Studies Fellowships:
• Missouri’s Regional Identity. Western, Southern, or Midwestern? Born at the confluence of rivers, Missouri has been a place where all kinds of currents collide, including the fluid flows of regional identity. This topic invites proposals exploring trends, events, or turning points in Missouri’s past that help explain how and why the state’s identity remains hard to pin down. Projects may consider either Missourians’ own expressions of self-identity, or how others have perceived the state and its people. Or explore some dimension other than geography in which Missouri’s identity has fluctuated over time—Red, Blue, or Bellwether state?
•Missouri and Conservation. Proposed projects should examine an aspect of Missourians’ interactions with the state’s natural environment and how choices made in respect to its natural resources have shaped Missouri’s history. Areas of inquiry might include, but are not limited to, such fields as tourism and recreation, politics, cultural identity, environmental engineering, business or industry development, or environmental protection. Any time period in Missouri’s history may be considered.
The fellowship awards will be announced in December. The chosen projects will be considered for publication in the Missouri Historical Review, the only quarterly journal devoted to scholarship on Missouri’s history. Fellowship recipients will also have an opportunity to make a public presentation of their work. The fellowships are named after Missouri historian Gary R. Kremer, the Society’s executive director emeritus and Center for Missouri Studies senior fellow. Further information regarding the fellowships and how to apply for them is available at shsmo.org. Proposals may be submitted online at shsmo.org/awards/center-fellowship