Doctoral Bursaries - Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (CCCMS)
Bursary topics in the Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (CCCMS) as part the of the 2023 PhD Bursary at QMU, Edinburgh.
Beyond the monument: Discovering marginalised heritages of Scotland through creative practice [BUR 23-06]
Research Centre: Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (CCCMS)
There have been various shifts within international and national heritage landscapes that have moved to prioritise narratives of ‘othered’ communities. These include movements around decolonialisation following from the widespread 2020 Black Lives Matter protests; initiatives to include LGBT+ narratives in permanent exhibitions, such as can be seen at the National Museum of Iceland; and accessible research challenging ableism in heritage, such as Historic England’s A History of Disability. However, there is a wide range of scholarly writing that suggests there is further work to be done regarding representation in cultural heritage (cf. Pasoulas et al, 2021; Jackson, 2020; Bengry et al, 2016; Sandell et al, 2010).
Within the particular context of Scottish culture, large institutions such as the National Theatre of Scotland have taken steps to examine experiences of refugees, trans people, and colonialism within Scottish culture. While these shifts signal a move towards addressing the exploration of marginalised heritage within a Scottish cultural context, there is scant research into the efficacy of such programming and/or the methods which are most appropriate for curating the experiences of marginalised groups within contemporary Scotland.
The successful candidate will be guided by the supervisory team to explore marginalised heritages of Scotland through creative practice. The study will be based on qualitative investigation and may draw upon practice-research methods depending on the skillset of the chosen researcher. We particularly encourage applicants from communities that are currently under-represented within academia. There is a level of flexibility in creative approaches to be adopted; for example, methods may include collective memory work evaluating cultural institutions’ policies and programmes, community-based research with marginalised groups, and/or developing practice-based outputs to disseminate the research findings. Please include in your proposal relevant literature you might draw upon as well as outlining your proposed research design for the study, including the communities with whom you wish to engage.
Please contact Dr Victoria Bianchi (vbianchi@qmu.ac.uk) or Professor Rebecca Finkel (rfinkel@qmu.ac.uk) should you wish to discuss your application and proposal.
