Social Science Scholars Receive 2025 Carnegie Fellowships for Research into Polarization

Two Members from the School of Social Science, Heba Gowayed (2022–23) and Peniel Emmaus Joseph (2025–26), have been named to the 2025 Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows. This year's fellows will conduct research "that seeks to understand how and why our society has become so polarized and how we can strengthen the forces of cohesion to fortify our democracy."

Gowayed, whose scholarship examines how race and gender intersect to shape the lives and possibilities of people crossing borders, will conduct research on the topic of "The Cost of Borders: Reimagining the World's Most Polarizing Institution."

Joseph, who is interested in histories of race, democracy, civil rights, and speech during the twentieth century, will work on a project entitled "The Fire This Time: James Baldwin’s 1963 and America’s Civil Rights Revolution."

Carnegie Fellowships are awarded through a highly competitive process finalized by a distinguished jury, which is composed of "current and former leaders from some of the nation’s preeminent institutions." The jurors select awardees on the basis of the "originality and promise" of their research, "its potential impact on the field, and the applicants’ plans for communicating the findings to a broad audience."

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is a continuation of the mission of Carnegie Corporation of New York, established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.

Read more about the 2025 fellows on the Carnegie Corporation website.