The fellowship will allow him to finish a project on early modern British politics, entitled "Buckingham's Commonwealth: War, Politics and Political Culture, 1618-1629."
"It's a great honor and I'm very happy to be going back there again," said Cogswell, who was chosen from 549 applicants. "I was there 15 years ago." He said he will finish a book that offers a new interpretation of the causes of the English Civil War.
"After three years as chair of the history department, which tends to keep you busy, I will get back to finishing this research" said Cogswell. "If I'm lucky, I may be able to finish a second project as well."
Scholars come from all over the U.S., as well as one scholar each from Israel, Italy and the United Kingdom. They will work individually on research projects in history, literature, philosophy, musicology, anthropology and other subjects at the National Humanities Center, a privately incorporated institute for advanced study in the humanities in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The fellowship program identifies talented scholars and provides financial support and a stimulating environment.
Other UC Riverside historians who have received Fellowships at the National Humanities Center are Professor Dale Kent and Dean Patricia O'Brien.
"I look forward to welcoming this exciting group of scholars," said Geoffrey Harpham, Director of the National Humanities Center. "They represent a truly remarkable range of interests."
Funding for these fellowships, amounting to $1.2 million, comes from the Center's endowment and by grants from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Florence Gould Foundation, the Lilly Endowment and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Cogswell, who came to UC Riverside in 1999, has won many previous awards, including fellowships from the Fulbright Commission, the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Humanities Center, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Huntington Library, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, and Wadham College, Oxford.
Before coming to UC Riverside, he taught at the University of Kentucky and Harvard University.
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