AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership - The Cold War in Scotland: Technical Heritage and the British 'Warfare State'
The Cold War in Scotland: Technical Heritage and the British 'Warfare State'
Department of Science and Technology, National Museums Scotland and the University of Stirling
Application deadline: Friday 27 April 2018 at 12 noon
Applications are invited for an AHRC-funded studentship at the
University of Stirling and National Museums Scotland. This studentship
is one of six awards made by the AHRC Scottish Cultural Heritage
Consortium.
The project is full-time, funded for three years and begins in October
2018. It will be supervised by Professor Holger Nehring (Division of
History and Politics, University of Stirling) and Dr Sam Alberti
(National Museums Scotland).
The project
The project will draw on objects from across National Museums Scotland,
including Scottish late modern, military, technology, and, especially,
aviation. Assessing material from 1947–1991, the student will explore
provenance, acquisition, and (where relevant) mode of display of both
civilian and military objects (such as civilian and military aeroplanes,
typewriters, computers and missiles).The project will explore how these
objects related to their Cold War context and thereby analyse their
meanings, values and authenticity. Thus, the proposed PhD project
tackles the fundamental issue of the material legacies and heritage of
the Cold War in Scotland: how does a (civilian) object become a Cold War
object? And what are the implications of this civil/military dichotomy
for museum exhibitions and engagement? The project will answer these
questions with an interdisciplinary methodology, drawing on critical
heritage and museum studies, history of science and technology, and Cold
War history. The student will have a degree of freedom to shape the
project to their own interests and specialism, given the wealth of
material available, and we anticipate that a number of innovative
connections between collections will emerge from the research.
How to apply
Eligibility:
• Applicants should have a very good undergraduate qualification and a
relevant Masters degree in history or contemporary history,
museum/heritage studies, history of science & technology or a
related field.
• Applicants will have some experience of relevant research methods (but
note that research training is a key part of the studentship).
• Applicants without a Masters qualification should include with their
application a 1-page statement outlining the specific relevant skills,
experience and knowledge they have gained beyond undergraduate degree
level, that could be considered equivalent to Masters study.
• A summary CV (max. 2 pages)
• A sample of recent academic writing (e.g., MSc/MLitt/MRes chapter or undergraduate dissertation)
• A short statement (1 page), outlining your qualification for the
studentship, and initial thoughts on how you would approach the project
• The names and contact details of two academic referees
Please submit your application via email to fahgs@stir.ac.uk by Friday 27 April 2018 at 12 noon.
Please ensure your referees are able to provide (on request, via email), an academic reference by Friday 4 May 2018 at 5pm.
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 16 May 2018 at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.