OSU faculty receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Two Oklahoma State University faculty members have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards.

Dr. Farida Jalalzai, head of OSU’s Department of Political Science, and associate art history professor Dr. Louise Siddons will use the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to travel abroad to conduct projects in their fields.

Jalalzai focuses her research on the representation and behavior of women and minorities in politics and the role of gender in politics. Her Fulbright award will fund her to travel to Poland, Iceland and New Zealand to conduct fieldwork in these countries that have each been governed by different women executives. Her research will examine how women presidents and prime ministers create opportunities for future women leaders, improve democracies, enhance political engagement among the public and improve perceptions of women in powerful positions.

Siddons’ research interests focus on the history of printmaking and photography, particularly in relation to representations of race, racialization, gender and sexuality. Her Fulbright award will fund her travel to the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library in London, to support the completion of her book examining American photographer Laura Gilpin’s 1968 book, The Enduring Navaho. Siddons examines Gilpin’s position within the intersectional politics of 20th-century photography, indigeneity and queerness, as well as discuss the propositions Gilpin made for both queer and Native American self-determination and sovereignty through the book’s visuals.

As Fulbright Scholars, Jalalzai and Siddons will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning home, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange. As Fulbright Scholar alumni, they join a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 86 Pulitzer Prize recipients and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 students, scholars, artists, teachers and professionals to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns. The program operates in more than 160 countries.

OSU has a long history of international engagement with a global impact. The School of Global Studies and Partnerships houses the OSU Fulbright campus coordinator’s office and is a resource for OSU faculty, staff and students interested in Fulbright programs. The school serves as a strategic and administrative center for global engagement as well as a resource for information and support in developing and assisting high-impact international experiences.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cara Eubanks | OSU Fulbright Coordinator | 405-744-4344 | cara.menasco@okstate.edu