PhD Bursary in Histories of Making and Material Culture

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PhD Bursary in Histories of Making and Material Culture

Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) is pleased to offer one part-time fees-only bursary for the above PhD opportunity to outstanding applicants seeking to begin a programme of research with AUB in February 2025.

The research aligns to the University’s design history and cultural heritage research cluster, which includes the Thorp Modelmaking Archive and the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP).

	Bursary details
Qualification type	PhD
Location	Bournemouth
Funding for	UK/Home Students
Funding amount	Home Tuition Fees paid for up to five years
Hours	Part-time
Application deadline	30 November 2024

Application overview

The overarching objective of this study is to extend a voice to previously unrecorded histories of making and material culture, particularly those of lost, forgotten, or marginalised makers and practices. In response to the dominance of a ‘post-production’ perspective that overlooks the role of the maker and making processes in existing studies of cultural heritage, design history, and material culture (Fariello, 2005), this investigation invites applications that seek to reveal previously hidden historical accounts of how things were made and the people who made them.

While the successful candidate will have a large degree of freedom in developing their research, it's envisaged that the PhD will adopt a primarily historical or biographical position in exploring past cultures of making within, for example, architecture, design, media, craft, furniture making, textiles, or traditional manufacture.

Potential research questions might be centred on topics such as:

Revealing the lives and contributions of previously undocumented individual makers or companies.
Examining the historical ‘othering’ or underrepresentation of marginalised groups of makers (by race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, etc.)
Recording obsolescent or endangered making practices and the transmission of tacit knowledge.
Considering historical cultures of making within the wider representation of cultural heritage (through literature, media, the arts, for example).

Applications from both art/design and humanities backgrounds are encouraged, and the research is expected to contribute new insights that will enrich the understanding and appreciation of making in its widest context through the completion of a written thesis.

Supervision will be led by Dr David Lund, Senior Lecturer, BA (Hons) Modelmaking and BA (Hons) Design.

Candidates for a PhD studentship must demonstrate outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in five years (part-time).
Applicants should hold a first or 2:1 Honours degree and typically a Master's degree in an appropriate subject.
Applicants with alternative qualifications/experience will be considered if they can demonstrate relevant achievement. Applicants whose first language is not English will be expected to have an IELTS score of at least 7.0 with 7.0 minimum in writing.
In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, AUB will look closely at the research potential and academic qualities of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful and timely completion.

Applicants are also invited from students who wish to self-fund their studies.

Please refer to the bursary terms and conditions for further details. We particularly welcome applicants who self-identify as being from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME/Global Majority) background.

How to apply

All applicants should apply via AUB's online application portal.
As part of the application, you'll be required to submit a 1,500-word proposal that follows the guidelines available on the website; and two academic references. You should also upload a copy of your CV.
You should clearly state in your proposal that you wish to be considered for this bursary.
Closing date for applications is 30 November 2024. Interviews will take place in December.