Tamara Fernando, an assistant professor in the Department of History at Stony Brook University, has been awarded a 2025 ACLS Fellowship. This fellowship is granted by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to recognize excellence in humanities and social sciences research. Fernando is among 62 international scholars chosen from over 2,300 applicants for this prestigious award.
"The ACLS is a dream fellowship that will allow me to travel to be closer to my archives and give me time to focus on my research," said Fernando.
The ACLS Fellowship Program offers up to $60,000 for six to twelve months of full-time research and writing. Funded primarily by the ACLS endowment since its inception in 1919, this year’s program will distribute more than $3.5 million.
"ACLS is grateful that we are in a position to continue to fund this vital research that advances our understanding of human societies and cultures," stated James Shulman, Vice President of ACLS. "Representing many different fields of study — including African diaspora studies, art history, English, gender studies, musicology, philosophy, religious studies, and more — this year’s fellows demonstrate the importance of foundational humanistic inquiry in helping us understand a wide range of questions concerning our collective and varied histories, narratives, creations, and beliefs."
Fernando's upcoming book with Harvard University Press is titled "Shallow Blue Empire: Pearl Diving in the Indian Ocean 1850-1925." It explores pearling as a multi-sited history rather than focusing solely on pearls themselves.
"I was frustrated by the ways that we fetishize the coveted lustrous commodity... while at the same time remaining largely ignorant of the undersea environments and the human labor regimes around pearling," she explained. "The aim of the project is not to say that commodities do not matter but rather to encourage exploration of these other angles."
Her work examines how pearling knowledge was specialized within coastal communities during British colonial rule in South Asia and the Middle East. She aims to continue her research on connections between sites such as Kuwait or Qatar and Sri Lanka.
"Tamara’s ACLS fellowship is a testament to the quality of her research and scholarship," said Carl W. Lejuez, executive vice president and provost at Stony Brook University. "I’m grateful to ACLS for its vital support for humanities research... it’s wonderful to see a Stony Brook historian win this prestigious fellowship alongside researchers from our nation’s leading universities."
David Wrobel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences added: "As a fellow historian I could not be more proud... This honor comes at a pivotal moment when recognition of research in humanities... is more important than ever."
Fernando expressed excitement about completing her book soon so she can return creatively back into archival work abroad before bringing newfound insights back home.
"I'm pretty far along with this pearling book," she noted. "My goal is complete it sooner rather than later which would give me more time explore get creative back archives."
– Robert Emproto