The Honors College and Department of History will host scholars from around the world.
Texas Tech University is one of four institutions in the country selected to participate in a global research project funded by the European Union (EU). Entitled “FAILURE: Reversing the Genealogies of Unsuccess, 16th-19th centuries” (REVFAIL), the two-year project is intended to facilitate the mobility of humanities faculty and students across Europe and the Americas.
“We are delighted to collaborate with these prestigious institutions of higher education in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. on this project of scholarly exchange and interchange of humanities researchers,” said Aliza Wong, a professor of history and interim dean of Texas Tech's Honors College. “Being accepted as one of the member institutions is a great honor and a recognition of Texas Tech's commitment to be a global partner in teaching, research and outreach and engagement. The Honors College is thrilled to lead this initiative and we invite Texas Tech faculty across campus to join us in this endeavor.”
Last spring, Wong and Stefano D'Amico, a professor of history in Texas Tech's College of Arts & Sciences, penned a letter to Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding program for research and innovation, formerly known as the Marie Curie – Research and Innovation Staff Exchange, affirming Texas Tech's desire to participate in REVFAIL. In January, Texas Tech was officially invited to join the consortium of 15 member institutions.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to work with outstanding humanists and a recognition of the global standing of Texas Tech,” D'Amico said. “Together with my colleagues in the Humanities Center and the humanities departments at Texas Tech, we hope to engage in many vibrant conversations not only on this project on failure, but on other processes of inquiry and understanding in the humanities.”
Housed within Horizon Europe is the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) program, which funds doctoral education and postdoctoral training for researchers with an emphasis on mobility across borders. This international mobility is at the heart of REVFAIL, which aims to explore the nuanced concept of failure and its relationship to marginalization through interdisciplinary discourse, knowledge transfer and collaboration.
“I am incredibly excited about this opportunity for Texas Tech scholars to host and engage with humanities scholars from across the EU and Latin America,” said Joseph Heppert, vice president for research and innovation in the Office of Research & Innovation. “International scholarly cooperation enriches our understanding of the diverse perspectives reflected in the experiences of our entire human family. Given the challenges we see unfolding in the world today, I can think of few activities more valuable than this. Congratulations to Aliza and the entire team for bringing this vision to life.”
For periods of one-to-two months, Texas Tech will host humanities scholars from member institutions in Europe and Latin America. Supported by the MSCA program, these international scholars will collaborate with Texas Tech faculty for the duration of their stay.
“Being selected as a member of this consortium elevates Texas Tech's ability to engage with international scholars, both here and abroad,” said Ronald Hendrick, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “It recognizes our ability to be a global partner in teaching, research and outreach with some of the best and brightest.”
REVFAIL is coordinated by the Madrid Institute for Advanced Study (MIAS), housed within the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM).
“It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Texas Tech as a member institution in this EU grant,” said Antonio Alvarez-Ossorio Alvariño, a UAM professor and director of MIAS. “We look forward to future collaborations with Texas Tech and see this exchange of humanities research as the beginning of a productive and significant scholarly exchange.”
Below are the institutions that have been selected to participate in REVFAIL:
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
- Casa de Velázquez, Spain
- Círculo de Bellas Artes, Spain
- Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal
- L'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, France
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
- Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Peru
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina
- Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
- Johns Hopkins University, U.S.
- Tulane University, U.S.
- Brown University, U.S.
- Texas Tech University, U.S.
