The Ian McGhee Research Grant from the John Galt Society
The John Galt Society welcomes applications for a grant, named in memory of the Society’s first Secretary-Treasurer, of up to ₤1,000 to defray expenses incurred in connection with research into the works, life or influence of John Galt.
Scholars at all career stages are eligible for the grant; preference will normally be given to advanced graduate students, early career scholars, contingent faculty and independent scholars. Grant funds may be used to pay research assistants. Members of the John Galt Society, as well as scholars who are not members, are eligible to apply. Recipients are expected to join the Society, if not already members, but membership dues will be waived for the first year.
Two types of research projects—archival and digital—are eligible.
Archival research projects: these projects take a long-established approach to
research. They involve traveling to archives, libraries, museums or other relevant
locations and examining material holdings. The outcomes they project will usually be
anchored in print, though that basis does not preclude ebooks. Eligible expenses might
include transportation to the chosen sites and/or lodging near them. For projects that
are closer to completion, they might include permissions fees or fees connected with
copyediting, indexing or other components of manuscript preparation.
Digital research projects: these projects take new or experimental approaches to
research. They might involve extensive use of online archives or digital collections; they
might seek to discover how technologically enhanced approaches enable examination
of large quantities of playbills, letters, records of other items and how quantitative
investigations affect qualitative results. They might aim to create curated websites,
collections or electronic editions that combine and present print, images and interactive
elements, or they might link to tours of historically significant locations, such as the “Galt
Way” of sites connected with Galt’s life and work in Scotland, or they might map areas
around the globe that figure in his life and work. The outcomes they project will usually
have some digital components, or they might be performances, recordings or videos.
Eligible expenses might include costs of project-specific equipment or internet services
sufficient to carry out the needed research. For projects closer to completion, they might
include permissions, licensing or website hosting fees. For web hosting, some
discussion with the Society will be required to help establish the estimated longevity of
the project and plans to maintain the website.
There may be some overlap between these two types of projects. Applications may
describe both components, and if awarded the grant, researchers may apply the funds
to the component of their choice if the grant will not cover both. The grant is not
intended to fund all projects fully; it is intended, rather, to add to other funding sources
or to make expenses more manageable for researchers without other funding sources.
In all cases, the projects should have the goal of shedding new light on Galt’s
significance in literature, history, socio-political thought or economics. Projects that
situate Galt in other fields are also welcome.
The Grant will be awarded annually. Previous recipients may apply for a second time,
but preference will be given to first-time applicants. Applications should be emailed to
the Secretary of the John Galt Society (Dr Honor Rieley, secjgs@gmail.com). Applications must include all of the following:
► Applicant’s name, address and email address.
► Applicant’s degree and affiliation: date of PhD received or expected,
institutional affiliation or statement that the applicant is not affiliated.
► Applicant’s CV.
► Description (approximately 1,000 words) of the project, specifying what
portion or aspect of it is to be aided by the Grant and what specific use will be made of the Grant money. The timetable for carrying out the research should also be indicated.
► The name, address, email address and affiliation of a scholar whom the Applicant has
asked to recommend the project. Applicants should make this request of a scholar
familiar with the Applicant’s work and ask the scholar to send the recommendation
directly to the Secretary of the John Galt Society at secjgs@gmail.com.
The deadline for applications is 31 January 2027. Complete applications must be
received by the deadline in order to be considered. The recipient will be announced at
the Annual General Meeting of the John Galt Society (usually in March). It is
expected that the research will be carried out and a report submitted within a year of the
receipt of the Grant. It is expected that the recipient will join the John Galt Society (if not
already a member) before making use of the Grant.
Inquiries may be directed to Dr Honor Rieley, Secretary of the John Galt Society (secjgs@gmail.com) or to Dr Regina Hewitt, Chair of the John Galt Society (hwt87@earthlink.net).
The John Galt Society 