The Joint Editors-in-Chief of J-CASTE announce the 2025-26 Bluestone Rising Scholar Competition in Caste Studies. The Award recognizes individuals who show great promise for outstanding scholarly contributions in their future careers to the study of caste.

The 2025-26 Prize will be awarded to an early career scholar or professional for the study of caste in South Asia or diaspora communities. Papers submitted for consideration may be on any aspect of Caste Studies and be written from the perspective of any discipline including but not limited to the social sciences, humanities and the arts, gender, history, philosophy, theology, medicine, or law.

The Bluestone Rising Scholar award includes:

• A recognition presented at a ceremony and public talk by the recipient on the Brandeis campus in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA, to be scheduled if possible to coincide with the 7^th International Conference on the Unfinished Legacy of Dr B.R. Ambedkar in early spring 2026.
• An opportunity to meet students and scholars at Brandeis and other universities in the Boston area.
• Publication of the scholarly paper in J-CASTE.
• An economy airline ticket, local Boston area transport, housing, and meals during the stay.

Eligibility

• Applicants should be in their early careers in any academic discipline or profession.
• No advanced degree is required though applicants may be in post-graduate or doctoral programs or have been awarded a PhD or equivalent in the last five years. Papers will be judged solely on scholarship.
• Authors may be resident anywhere in the world and of any social, ethnic, and national background.
• Papers are especially encouraged from women and persons from historically marginalized communities.
• Award recipients must be available to attend the award ceremony and events in person pending any pandemic restrictions.
• The paper has not been published or under review elsewhere.

Jury

The selection will be made by a jury drawn from the J-Caste Editorial Team and Editorial Advisory Board.Shortlisted authors may be requested to be interviewed.

Submissions

• Only single-authored papers will be considered.
• The submission should include:

1. A separate abstract file of no more than 250 words.
2. A separate text file of between 5,000 to 8,000 words.
3. The above files should be in Word format without the author’s name or other identifying information.
4. A separate cover page file with the following information:

• Submission for the Bluestone Rising Scholar Prize 2025-26
• Full Name
• Full Mailing Address
• Email Address
• Institutional Affiliation including address and URL. Independent Scholars may identify as such.

1. A curriculum vitae of no more than 5 pages including date of birth and dates of academic degrees (if any).

Language

The paper must be written in English or submitted in English translation from the author’s first language. The award paper may be published in J-Caste in English or in the author’s first language alongside an English translation.

Use of AI

Any use of AI must be fully disclosed and the extent of its use explained. Neglect to fully disclose its use may lead to rejection of the paper.

 How to Submit Your Paper

• Go to the J-CASTE website and Register with the Journal if you are not already.
• Submit your paper via the Make a Submission link.
• In the ‘Start’ drop-down menu, choose Bluestone Rising Scholar Submission. If this is not chosen, your submission will not be included in the Bluestone Rising Scholar submission list which is auto-generated by the program. The system will automatically send you an acknowledgement.
• Be sure to mark your cover page with “Submission for Bluestone Rising Scholar Prize 2025-26” and carefully upload all files and information requested above. Missing files or requested information will delay or reject consideration.
• Please do not email or mail a copy of your paper to J-CASTE.

Submission Deadline and Timeline

• Papers may be submitted at any time until 11 pm ET on November 15, 2025. No late submissions will be accepted. An acknowledgement of the submitted paper will automatically be sent.
• Rising Scholar Award recipients will be notified by the end of December 2025.
• All other applicants will be notified by mid-January 2026.

Contingency

• Travel to Boston is contingent on public health restrictions and timely visa approval. Brandeis will issue a visa letter in support of the award recipient’s visa application (if needed). Brandeis reserves the right to make the award remotely if necessary for any reason.

Questions?

Please email Mr. Ryan Lansing, J-Caste Editorial Assistant: JCasteManager@brandeis.edu .

Please do not email any member of the J-Caste Editorial Team or Editorial Advisory Board. All questions will be answered in a timely manner by Mr. Lansing. We appreciate your cooperation.

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 About the sponsoring institution

The Bluestone Rising Scholar Prize was created through the generosity of the late Sy Bluestone, M.D. to advance social justice research through the Center for Global Development and Sustainability at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

J-CASTE is a project of the Center for Global Development and Sustainability and the Brandeis Library. J-CASTE advances peer-reviewed scholarship across disciplines into the marginalization and hereditary oppression of religious, racial and cultural minorities. J-CASTE assesses social policies meant to counter exclusion in multiple spheres and intolerance in multi-faith democracies.

The Center for Global Development and Sustainability is an interdisciplinary and multinational group that advances scholarship and applied research on problems of vulnerability in developing countries as well as in advanced economies. Its core faculty and affiliated researchers include those from varied disciplines of the natural and social sciences, development studies and the humanities. GDS engages in partnerships in the U.S. and throughout the world that build understanding and expand capacity for sustainable and emancipatory development.

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management is the only graduate school where the idealism of a social justice mission meets the rigor and prestige of a top ten Social Policy school in the United States in the rankings of the US News & World Report. We are a leading community of scholars advancing progressive social policy and development, at a school specifically founded to advance careers committed to social change. The Heller School is a unit of the School of Social Sciences and Social Policy committed to “Developing Evidence-Based Solutions to Society’s Greatest Challenges”.

Brandeis University was founded in 1948 as a model of ethnic and religious pluralism and embodies the highest ethical and cultural values. Brandeis is the youngest private research university in the United States and the only nonsectarian university in the nation founded by members of the American Jewish community. By welcoming students, faculty and staff of every nationality, religion and orientation, Brandeis renews the American heritage of cultural diversity, equal access to opportunity, and freedom of expression. In 1985, Brandeis was elected to the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group representing 69 of the most prominent research universities in the U.S. and Canada.

Please see https://brandeis.edu/j-caste

For questions, please email Mr. Ryan Lansing, Editorial Assistant:  JCasteManager@brandeis.edu