AHRC-funded doctoral studentship

The University of Bristol and the Imperial War Museum, London, are pleased to invite applications for an AHRC-funded doctoral studentship to research the history of display at the Imperial War Museum, London, from 1917 to the present. The successful candidate is expected to produce an original thesis, and to contribute to the creation of an oral history archive, an online exhibition about the history of the museum, and the planning of future displays at the London site. S/he will receive joint supervision from Dr Grace Brockington and Dr Tim Cole at Bristol and Mr Roger Tolson, Head of Collections at the Imperial War Museum, and will divide his/her time between the two institutions.

The project is designed to redress the fact that there is as yet no substantial history of the Imperial War Museum. Founded in 1917 to commemorate the First World War, the museum has developed in response to a century of continual warfare. It is now an institution of international importance, with an acclaimed exhibitions programme and superb collections, including one of the best collections of twentieth-century British art in the world.. We invite the student to pursue research questions concerning exhibiting at the museum, which may include but are not limited to: 

  • curatorial responses to successive conflicts and to shifting attitudes to war;
  • the changing use of space at the London museum in its various locations;
  • how the museum has treated the eclectic nature of its collections, which combine military artefacts and fine-art displays and the museum's place among the growing number and sophistication of memorials and war museums internationally;
  • the specific lines of enquiry and eventual argument will emerge from the student's archival researches.

The studentship will begin in October 2011, and will be awarded for three years full-time or five years part-time study. A full award (tuition fees and maintenance grant) or fees-only award will be given, depending on the student’s residency status. For further information about the terms and conditions of AHRC studentships, please see the Guide to Student Funding:

http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Documents/GuidetoStudentFunding.pdf

For further details about the project and application process, please contact Dr Grace Brockington, Grace.Brockington@bristol.ac.uk, 0117 3311221. Informal enquiries are welcome.

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