Discipline and Belonging: How Boxing and Combat Gyms Shape Youth, Gender, and Community in Belfast

Summary

Boxing gyms have been fixtures of Belfast working-class life since the mid twentieth century. Based in modest halls and converted spaces, they offered young people lessons in discipline, fitness and respect, while also providing rare opportunities to cross sectarian lines.

Combat sports such as mixed martial arts grew later, expanding rapidly from the 1990s onwards, yet today stand alongside boxing clubs as influential community institutions with deep local reach.

This PhD will examine the role of Belfast boxing and combat gyms from the 1960s to the present. It will explore how gyms operated during the Troubles, how they adapted after the Good Friday Agreement, and how they continue to serve local communities today.

The project will combine archival research with ethnographic fieldwork in selected gyms across the city. The student will spend time in gyms, interview coaches, fighters and families, and analyse how participants themselves describe the value of training in their lives.

The study will not romanticise these spaces. Combat sports are built on controlled violence and gyms can reinforce tough, masculine identities as much as they can provide mentorship, structure and belonging. It will also ask how women and girls navigate clubs long coded as male, and how their presence reshapes Belfast’s combat sport culture in practice.

By combining history and ethnography, the project will provide a fuller picture of how gyms matter in Belfast. It will generate fresh insight into their contribution to wellbeing, resilience and community safety.

The research aligns with the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government and its long-term mission on People, which prioritises fairer and more inclusive communities where no one is left behind.

The project will contribute to an evidence base upon which the allocation of resources to sport and sporting facilities might be based.

The project would particularly benefit from applicants with experience in qualitative research methods, especially ethnographic fieldwork and interviewing. An interest in the sociology or history of sport, community studies, or post-conflict societies would be advantageous. Prior engagement with Belfast or Northern Ireland community contexts is desirable but not essential.

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.

• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• 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.

• First Class Honours (1st) Degree
• Masters at 65%
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project
• Publications - peer-reviewed

Equal Opportunities

The University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community, particularly from those with disabilities.

Appointment will be made on merit.

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

• Department for the Economy (DfE)

Our fully funded PhD scholarships will cover tuition fees and provide a maintenance allowance of £21,000 (approximately) per annum for three years* (subject to satisfactory academic performance).  A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £900 per annum is also available.

These scholarships, funded via the Department for the Economy (DfE), are open to applicants worldwide, regardless of residency or domicile.

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.

*Part time PhD scholarships may be available to home candidates, based on 0.5 of the full time rate, and will require a six year registration period.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies.