PhD Study : An archive of Modern Conflict

Summary

The Belfast Exposed organisation started in 1983 as an interior response to the on-going conflict in Northern Ireland. Housed in the Centre of the City, it is a repository for a number of photographic legacies, none of which have been evaluated or published in coherent form. Instead they have been used as occasional resources for more recent community practices and as materials in police and other enquiries. By reaching working class experiences of the conflict, the archive potentially holds a genuinely singular response.

This research will initiate a full and immersed engagement with arguably one of the key indigenous archives of the Troubles and allow an appreciation and understanding of their contribution to the understanding of the region whilst in conflict. It also provokes questions of the potential of documentary practice and community integration, with much of the work only made through invitation from sources within particular political communities. The candidate will bring experience and perspective on the role of photographic archives, their potential for impact, education and enhanced knowledge of conflict, class and culture. After early review, the candidate will wish to look at the work in the context of other contributions made in the region, several of which remain with photographers in Belfast. Given their age, ethical issues are also inevitably foregrounded, with subjects and participants alive and with the appropriate use and custody of such materials yet to be resolved or examined.

The research will allow an engagement with these questions and allow the work to be published in substantial form for the first time. Access to the archive, to the photographers still living and to the wider environment that surrounds the materials has been agreed with Belfast Exposed. Opportunities for exhibited outputs and related research events will be considered as part of their future schedule. This will disseminate the work, allow oral accounts and field research to be impactful, inclusive and immersed. As well as the academic interrogation of these materials, it would be impactful, purposeful and of cultural importance for the candidate to be able to propose strategy on the future operational structure of the archive as a viable, ‘living’ and hitherto undervalued account of a modern conflict.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
• Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living