[Culturetalk] Fellowships

[10hs at williams.edu]

To Whom It May Concern,
I am an American student entering into my last year at Williams College, and I 
am applying for a few fellowship grants to the South Pacific next year.  I am very 
interested in the food culture of the South Pacific islands, and I would like to 
research how native identity is shaped through food traditions, especially in the 
face of globalization and homogeneity.  My main focus would be on food in 
literature, and ideally I would like to base my research on recorded oral 
histories, travel accounts from British and French colonialists, and first-hand 
field studies.   
I feel that my project would be very pertinent in the face of the nutritional 
problems in the South Pacific, including the rapid rise of obesity.  Could the loss 
of traditional cuisine be a main factor in these recent nutritional issues?   
If my proposed research study awakens any interest, I would love to continue 
the conversation.  I am applying for the Fulbright and Watson Fellowships, and if 
received I would probably work on Fiji, although I am also looking at Vanuatu, 
Tonga, and New Caledonia. 
If there is anyone on this culture talk mailing list who is intrigued by my 
proposition, or knows someone who possibly would be, I would be overjoyed to 
hear from you.
Thank you so much for your consideration,
Sincerely,
Hannah Smith-Drelich