2019-2020 Folk Musicians Research Project
The Stanford King Center on Global Development offers undergraduate students interested in global poverty and development the opportunity to work on faculty-led projects and gain fieldwork experience through the Summer Undergraduate Field Research Assistant Program.
Selected students spend up to 12 weeks in a low- or middle-income country conducting research for a Stanford faculty member or affiliate. Each research assistant receives a stipend to cover travel and living expenses. The minimum time commitment is 8 weeks, and the maximum is 12 weeks. Stipends will be pro-rated depending on the total time commitment.
Research assistants may have the opportunity to discuss their work at an event organized by the Stanford King Center on Global Development.
Research Project Description:
There are over 100,000 folk musicians in India; songs are inherited between generations and so is the profession of being a singer. Qawwali is one such category of folk music, which originated 700 years ago as a form of Sufi devotional music at the shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi. Currently there are at least 150 groups of singers of this lineage in Delhi, but these singers have been struggling to make ends meet over the last few decades. In recent years, folk musicians are faced with decreased earnings as the traditional patronage system has disappeared and audiences lack exposure to folk music. With the availability of low-cost and easy-to-use recording devices, recorded music made available through online platforms could be an important tool to increase the market and earnings of folk musicians. Folk musicians can also reach a much wider audience if they gain some visibility through creative collaborations with contemporary musicians. We hope to assess the impact of these two interventions on the earnings and outreach of musicians using both qualitative, interview methods as well as field experimental methods.
Faculty supervisor: Professor Aruna Ranganathan
Dates: Flexible after July 1, 2020 with a minimum of 8 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks. The start date cannot be earlier than July 1, 2020.
Location(s): Delhi, India
Program Costs:
The Stanford King Center on Global Development will cover:
- Round-trip, economy class airfare (based on fares to and from San Francisco)
- In-country accommodation
- A nominal stipend, sufficient to cover food and basic living costs including in-country transportation necessary for research
- Students receiving financial aid will have supplementary money added to the stipend depending on the level of aid.
Students are financially responsible for:
- pre-departure immunizations
- travel medicine consultation
- health insurance
- visa costs
- all other incidental expenses including personal travel
- Conduct interviews with folk musicians
- Contact contemporary musicians and explore opportunities for folk-contemporary musical collaborations
- Conduct preliminary data analysis
- Stanford undergraduates in good academic standing are eligible to apply.
- All majors are welcome.
- Students must be currently enrolled at Stanford as well as the spring and fall quarters of 2020.
- Spoken language skills in Hindi.
In Addition:
- Per Stanford International Travel Policy, this opportunity is conditional on the security level in the country remaining at level 1 or 2. See the U.S. Department of State for more information.
- International students must check with the Bechtel International Center regarding whether their immigration status will allow them to travel over the summer.
- Students will be required to attend or complete:
- An Office of International Affairs (OIA) international travel preparation course on Canvas;
- A Stanford King Center on Global Development orientation session regarding compliance with Stanford University policies;
- A field research information session; and
- A Vaden Travel Health information session and/or a travel clinic appointment.
- Please note that these are mandatory.
- This program is supported by VPUE. Please see VPUE guidelines here for details and qualifications.
Next Steps:
Along with the application, applicants are asked to submit:
- A resume or c.v.
- An official Stanford transcript.
Completed applications will be reviewed by a committee and finalists will be invited for an in-person interview with the faculty member who will be overseeing the selection process.
Candidates will be selected based on overall fit with the program, especially enthusiasm for the research focus, and the ability to work both on a team and independently.
