Border Fellows
Mellon-Fronteridades fellows are UArizona students and academic professionals who engage in arts and humanities-centric interdisciplinary initiatives with U.S.-Mexico border communities.
The Mellon-Fronteridades Fellowship Program funds UArizona faculty members and graduate students working on interdisciplinary research projects that explore, analyze, and elevate the lived experiences, cultural resources, and border dynamics of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Fellows' projects focus on building new public understanding and interpretation of the U.S.-Mexico border dynamics, tensions, innovations, dreams, and realities, positively impacting border communities.
The program also advances the mission of the University of Arizona Border Lab to position the University as a global leader in border research and learning. Funded fellows address one or more of the following focus areas of the Border Lab:
Research: innovative research products/activities/initiatives (e.g., corpus, digital research tools, researcher networks, etc.) that build on and elevate the University's community of border researchers and relationships between the University and the borderlands community.
Pedagogy: interdisciplinary, multi-modal border curriculum and pedagogical materials integrating impactful learning opportunities into the University's course offerings.
Creative Activity: A cohesive set of creative products, activities, and events that center on the experience and narratives of borderland communities.
2021 Graduate Fellowships Program

The Graduate Fellowships Program supports current UArizona graduate students to carry out interdisciplinary research projects and scholarly creative activities focused on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The 2021 Mellon-Fronteridades Graduate Fellows represent diverse disciplines, including Geography, Journalism, Art, Music, Education, Anthropology, Spanish & Portuguese, Mexican American Studies, and Latin American Studies. Consequently, this research spans diverse methodologies, from ethnographic interview research to critical archive research, collaborative dance testimonies, and bi-national co-created music composition.
2021 Faculty Fellowships Program

The 2021 Mellon-Fronteridades Faculty Fellows are: (left to right) Robin Reineke and Carmen King de Ramírez.
The Faculty Fellowship Program provides support for University of Arizona faculty who are conducting interdisciplinary border research to broaden and deepen our understanding of the narratives, experiences, knowledge, histories, performances, spaces and heritages that shape and are shaped by the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. This program aims to align with the goals of the Fronteridades program as well as the Border Lab initiative and focus on an Arizona-Sonora borderlands communities.
Learn more about our 2021 Mellon-Fronteridades Faculty Fellows.