The Tyler Fellowship gave me the opportunity to make significant advances in the writing of my dissertation. I was also able to submit two articles for peer review during the fellowship. Two years of interacting with archaeologists and art historians expanded and clarified the ways I think about my project and about labor and coercion in the Andes more broadly. Considering these issues with scholars in other fields enhanced my work, and I leave with a much better grasp on Pre-Columbian labor regimes and how they influenced colonial developments. I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside these other scholars and the significant resources Dumbarton Oaks invested to help me succeed as a scholar. The library provided me with access to a wealth of materials on both the Pre-Columbian and colonial Andes and other generous financial support helped me access rare volumes to continue my research from home. Finally, the institutional project I completed for Dumbarton Oaks, “Land and Labor: Dumbarton Oaks prior to 1920,” helped me learn more about slavery in a comparable context and advance our knowledge about the history of this wonderful institution.
James Almeida, Harvard University, William R. Tyler Fellow 2019–2021