List of Guggenheim Fellowships awarded in 1987
have been awarded annually since 1925, by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." The following is a list of the fellowships that were awarded in 1987:
| Fellow | Category | Field of Study |
| Elsa Beatriz Abuin | Natural Sciences | Chemistry |
| Dennis Adrian | Humanities | Fine Arts Research |
| Yuz Aleshkovsky | Creative Arts | Fiction |
| Dudley Andrew | Humanities | Film, Video, & Radio Studies |
| Jean-Marie Apostolidès | Humanities | French Literature |
| Arakawa | Creative Arts | Fine Arts |
| R. Douglas Arnold | Social Sciences | Political Science |
| W. Brian Arthur | Social Sciences | Economics |
| Jelle Atema | Natural Sciences | Organismic Biology & Ecology |
| Apostolos N. Athanassakis | Humanities | Classics |
| Charles Atlas | Creative Arts | Film |
| Bernard Avishai | Creative Arts | Biography |
| Reinaldo Ayerbe-Chaux | Humanities | Spanish & Portuguese Literature |
| Mardges Bacon | Humanities | Architecture, Planning, & Design |
| Arnold J. Band | Humanities | Near Eastern Studies |
| Joseph Bartscherer | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Mary Catherine Bateson | General Nonfiction | |
| Kamaljit S. Bawa | Plant Sciences | |
| John Maurice Beattie | Humanities | British History |
| Vereen M. Bell | English Literature | |
| May R. Berenbaum | Organismic Biology & Ecology | |
| Alan E. Bernstein | Medieval History | |
| Lawrence F. Bernstein | Music Research | |
| Robert C. Berwick | Computer Science | |
| Robert J. Bezucha | Intellectual & Cultural History | |
| Susan Morton Blaustein | Music Composition | |
| Lisa Block de Behar | Latin American Literature | |
| Leon Borensztein | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Robert Bringhurst | Poetry | |
| William A. Brock | Economics | |
| Harold Brodkey | Fiction | |
| Jeffrey Peter Brooks | Russian History | |
| Lawrence Ingalls Buell | American Literature | |
| Melissa Meriam Bullard | Renaissance History | |
| Jon Butler | U.S. History | |
| Joan L. Bybee | Linguistics | |
| Robert S. Cantwell | Folklore & Popular Culture | |
| T. Carmi | Poetry | |
| John Miller Chernoff | Folklore & Popular Culture | |
| Alexandre Joel Chorin | Applied Mathematics | |
| Robert Christgau | Folklore & Popular Culture | |
| Shih-I Chu | Chemistry | |
| Yoshiko Chuma | Creative Arts | Choreography |
| Vèvè A. Clark | Dance Studies | |
| Kevin Clinton | Classics | |
| Laurie Colwin | Fiction | |
| Maryse Condé | Fiction | |
| Frank Conroy | Fiction | |
| John M. Cooper | Philosophy | |
| Roger C. Cramton | Law | |
| Alfred W. Crosby | Intellectual & Cultural History | |
| Ellen Currie | Fiction | |
| Allan Matthew D'Arcangelo | Fine Arts | |
| Gonzalo Díaz Cuevas | Fine Arts | |
| Luciano Debeljuk | Neuroscience | |
| Andrew E. DePristo | Chemistry | |
| David J. DeRosier | Molecular & Cellular Biology | |
| Stuart Diamond | Fine Arts | |
| Philip-Lorca diCorcia | Creative Arts | Photography |
| William Doppmann | Music Composition | |
| Ellen Driscoll | Fine Arts | |
| John S. Earman | Philosophy | |
| Barbara Ehrenreich | General Nonfiction | |
| Deborah Eisenberg | Fiction | |
| Roberto Horacio Elía | Creative Arts | Fine Arts |
| Richard Hall Elphick | Humanities | African Studies |
| James L. Enyeart | Humanities | Photography Studies |
| Irving Robert Epstein | Natural Sciences | Chemistry |
| Robert A. Ferguson | Social Sciences | Law |
| Albert Feuerwerker | Humanities | East Asian Studies |
| Morgan Hall Fisher | Creative Arts | Film |
| Sheila Fitzpatrick | Humanities | Russian History |
| Lazar Fleishman | Humanities | Slavic Literature |
| Aaron Moses Fogel | Humanities | Literary Criticism |
| Hugh Douglas Ford | Creative Arts | Biography |
| Carol Ann Fowler | Social Sciences | Psychology |
| Richard G. Fox | Social Sciences | Anthropology & Cultural Studies |
| Richard Wightman Fox | Humanities | U.S. History |
| Steven D. Fraade | Humanities | Religion |
| Andrew D. Frank | Creative Arts | Music Composition |
| Michael Friedman | Humanities | Philosophy |
| Annabelle Gamson | Creative Arts | Choreography |
| Graziano Gasparini | Architecture, Planning, & Design | |
| Raif Salim Geha | Medicine & Health | |
| Irving Geis | Fine Arts | |
| Eugene D. Genovese | U.S. History | |
| Adolfo Gilly | Political Science | |
| Michael Gitlin | Fine Arts | |
| Thomas F. Glick | Iberian & Latin American History | |
| Claudia Goldin | Economic History | |
| Merle Goldman | East Asian Studies | |
| Samuel Goldstein | Medicine & Health | |
| Roberta M. Golinkoff | Social Sciences | Psychology |
| Reginald George Golledge | Geography & Environmental Studies | |
| Gene Howard Golub | Applied Mathematics | |
| James Gould | Organismic Biology & Ecology | |
| Jeffrey Brent Graham | Organismic Biology & Ecology | |
| Clive W. J. Granger | Economics | |
| Jerry Richard Green | Economics | |
| Debora Greger | Poetry | |
| Nigel D.F. Grindley | Molecular & Cellular Biology | |
| Patricio Gross | Architecture, Planning, & Design | |
| Julie M. Gustafson | Video & Audio | |
| Ralph Hanna | Medieval Literature | |
| Michael T. Hannan | Sociology | |
| Joe Harris | Mathematics | |
| Oliver D'Arcy Hart | Economics | |
| Allan Havis | Drama & Performance Art | |
| John M. Hayes | Organismic Biology & Ecology | |
| Barry William Caldwell Higman | Iberian & Latin American History | |
| Robert Hillmann | Creative Arts | Film |
| Thomas Spight Hines | Architecture, Planning, & Design | |
| Stephen Holmes | Political Science | |
| Thomas C. Holt | U.S. History | |
| Sarah B. Hrdy | Anthropology & Cultural Studies | |
| Marie Hélène Huet | French Literature | |
| Clark Hulse | English Literature | |
| Jeffrey M. Hurwit | Fine Arts Research | |
| Mahir Saleh Hussein | Physics | |
| Richard W. Hyman | Molecular & Cellular Biology | |
| Kamran Ince | Creative Arts | Music Composition |
| Stephen C. Innes | Humanities | U.S. History |
| Arthur J. Jelinek | Anthropology & Cultural Studies | |
| Len Jenkin | Drama & Performance Art | |
| Klavs Flemming Jensen | Engineering | |
| Charles R. Johnson | Fiction | |
| Richard A. Joseph | African Studies | |
| Donald R. Kaplan | Plant Sciences | |
| Martin Karplus | Chemistry | |
| Michael T. Kaufman | General Nonfiction | |
| Alice A. Kelikian | Italian Literature | |
| William J. Kennedy | Italian Literature | |
| Charles F. Kennel | Natural Sciences | Astronomy—Astrophysics |
| J. Jorge Klor de Alva | Anthropology & Cultural Studies | |
| John Koethe | Poetry | |
| John B. Kogut | Physics | |
| Melvin L. Kohn | Sociology | |
| Paul J. Korshin | English Literature | |
| Edward J. Kramer | Engineering | |
| Shigeko Kubota | Creative Arts | Video & Audio |
| John Kucich | Humanities | English Literature |
| Carol Laderman | Anthropology & Cultural Studies | |
| David Lang | Music Composition | |
| Richard A. Lanham | Literary Criticism | |
| Antonio C. Lasaga | Earth Science | |
| Mario Lavista | Music Composition | |
| Sydney W. Lea | Poetry | |
| Jonathan D. Lear | Philosophy | |
| Pedro E. León Azofeifa | Molecular & Cellular Biology | |
| Ming Cho Lee | Theatre Arts | |
| Hyam Lerner Leffert | Medicine & Health | |
| Stephen R. Leone | Chemistry | |
| James Lepowsky | Mathematics | |
| Richard M. Lerman | Video & Audio | |
| Shirley Robin Letwin | Law | |
| Michael Lieb | English Literature | |
| Philip Lieberman | Psychology | |
| Chung Laung Liu | Computer Science | |
| Barry Lopez | General Nonfiction | |
| Edward A. Love | Fine Arts | |
| Margot Lovejoy | Fine Arts | |
| Robin Warren Lovin | Religion | |
| Craig Lucas | Drama & Performance Art | |
| Marc Mangel | Natural Sciences | Applied Mathematics |
| Sally Mann | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Patrick Manning | African Studies | |
| J. Patrice Marandel | Fine Arts Research | |
| Tomás Eloy Martínez | Fiction | |
| Lorna Martens | German & Scandinavian Literature | |
| Jane Roland Martin | Education | |
| Jaime Mas-Oliva | Molecular & Cellular Biology | |
| Gary G. Matthews | Neuroscience | |
| J. D. McClatchy | Poetry | |
| Terrence J. McDonald | U.S. History | |
| Paul Mendes-Flohr | Religion | |
| Pedro Meyer | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Dennis Martin Mills | Applied Mathematics | |
| Igor Félix Mirabel | Astronomy—Astrophysics | |
| Antonio F. Mitre Canahuati | Iberian & Latin American History | |
| Ewa Morawska | Sociology | |
| Segundo E. Moreno Yánez | Anthropology & Cultural Studies | |
| Ira J. Mowitz | Music Composition | |
| Alfred H. Mueller | Physics | |
| John E. Mueller | Political Science | |
| Basim Fuad Musallam | History of Science & Technology | |
| Alexander Nagel | Natural Sciences | Mathematics |
| Rainer Nägele | Humanities | German & Scandinavian Literature |
| Ulric Neisser | Psychology | |
| Joshua Neustein | Fine Arts | |
| William I. Newman | Astronomy—Astrophysics | |
| Stephen G. Nichols | Medieval Literature | |
| Margot Norris | English Literature | |
| Denis L. Norton | Natural Sciences | Earth Science |
| Joseph O'Rourke | Natural Sciences | Computer Science |
| Richard A. Olshen | Natural Sciences | Statistics |
| Maria Esther Orozco Orozco | Natural Sciences | Molecular & Cellular Biology |
| Diane Orr | Creative Arts | Film |
| David W. Oxtoby | Natural Sciences | Chemistry |
| Stevenson J. Palfi | Video & Audio | |
| Alberto Palloni | Sociology | |
| Richard Pare | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Kathlyn A. Parker | Chemistry | |
| David Parry | Creative Arts | Film |
| Esther Pasztory | Fine Arts Research | |
| Lee Patterson | Medieval Literature | |
| John Pencavel | Economics | |
| Vivian Perlis | Music Research | |
| Ruth Perry | English Literature | |
| Carl Forbes Petry | Near Eastern Studies | |
| Carla Rahn Phillips | Iberian & Latin American History | |
| Liz Phillips | Fine Arts | |
| Howardena D. Pindell | Fine Arts | |
| Alejandro Enrique Planchart | Music Research | |
| Katha Pollitt | Poetry | |
| Mary Louise Pratt | Literary Criticism | |
| Rodolfo Oscar Rabanal | Fiction | |
| Rudolf A. Raff | Organismic Biology & Ecology | |
| Terrence Rafferty | Film, Video, & Radio Studies | |
| Lee Rainwater | Sociology | |
| Tilottama Rajan | English Literature | |
| Victor Alberto Ramos | Earth Science | |
| Arnold Rampersad | American Literature | |
| Roger L. Ransom | Economic History | |
| Mark Rappaport | Creative Arts | Film |
| Marina Ratner | Mathematics | |
| William Reddy | French History | |
| Michele H. Richman | French Literature | |
| Faith Ringgold | Fine Arts | |
| C Larry Roberts | Creative Arts | Film |
| James N. Rosenau | Political Science | |
| David Rosner | History of Science & Technology | |
| Norman Rush | Fiction | |
| Daniel Russell | French Literature | |
| Evelyn Satinoff | Neuroscience | |
| Elaine Scarry | Philosophy | |
| Miriam Schapiro | Fine Arts | |
| William R. Schowalter | Engineering | |
| Buky Schwartz | Video & Audio | |
| Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick | Literary Criticism | |
| Enrique Semo | Iberian & Latin American History | |
| Barbara J. Shapiro | British History | |
| Douglas Y. Shapiro | Organismic Biology & Ecology | |
| K. Barry Sharpless | Chemistry | |
| Sydney Shoemaker | Philosophy | |
| Maxine F. Singer | Molecular & Cellular Biology | |
| Brian Skyrms | Philosophy | |
| Nicolas Slonimsky | Music Research | |
| Richard E. Spear | Fine Arts Research | |
| Jonathan Sperber | German & East European History | |
| Gabrielle M. Spiegel | Medieval History | |
| Carol B. Stack | Anthropology & Cultural Studies | |
| Sharon Sheehe Stark | Fiction | |
| W. Dabney Stuart | Poetry | |
| Susan Rubin Suleiman | French Literature | |
| Murad Taqqu | Natural Sciences | Mathematics |
| Edward H. Thorndike | Natural Sciences | Physics |
| Richard Toensing | Creative Arts | Music Composition |
| James Stanley Trefil | Natural Sciences | Earth Science |
| José Francisco Triana Perez | Creative Arts | Drama & Performance Art |
| Lee Tribe | Creative Arts | Fine Arts |
| Endel Tulving | Social Sciences | Psychology |
| Robert L. Uffen | Natural Sciences | Molecular & Cellular Biology |
| Jorge Velazco | Humanities | Music Research |
| Miguel Angel Virasoro | Natural Sciences | Physics |
| Robert von Hallberg | Humanities | American Literature |
| Catherine Wagner | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Gary F. Waller | Humanities | English Literature |
| Kang L. Wang | Natural Sciences | Applied Mathematics |
| Alvin C. Warren | Social Sciences | Law |
| Jon August Wellner | Natural Sciences | Statistics |
| Richard S. Westfall | Humanities | History of Science & Technology |
| Alec Wilkinson | Creative Arts | General Nonfiction |
| William T. Williams | Creative Arts | Fine Arts |
| Neil Winokur | Creative Arts | Photography |
| Bryan Jay Wolf | Humanities | Fine Arts Research |
| Julian Wolpert | Social Sciences | Geography & Environmental Studies |
| C. D. Wright | Creative Arts | Poetry |
| Renata Wulff | Natural Sciences | Plant Sciences |
| Aram A. Yengoyan | Social Sciences | Anthropology & Cultural Studies |
| Saúl Yurkievich | Humanities | Latin American Literature |
| Richard Zenith | Humanities | Spanish & Portuguese Literature |
| Ahmed Hassan Zewail | Natural Sciences | Chemistry |
| Jeffrey I. Zink | Natural Sciences | Chemistry |