Swansea University Fees Only PhD Studentship
The Department of History and Classics, Swansea University, invites applications from suitably-qualified candidates for a three year doctoral bursary funded by the College of Arts and Humanities, to conduct research on the treatment and reception of tangible cultural heritage (buildings, monuments, museums, galleries, portable art and antiquities) in Florence, 1943 to c. 1946, under both German occupation and (particularly) Allied control. The project is full-time , will run for three years and will be supervised by Dr. Nigel Pollard, along with Dr. Catherine Fletcher and/or Dr. Jonathan Dunnage.
The focus of the project is on cultural tourism by Allied military personnel visiting Florence on leave. Accounts of such visits survive in memoirs and diaries in archives (e.g. that of the Imperial War Museum), along with maps and guidebooks produced by military authorities to inform and guide those visitors. The researcher will examine this evidence, exploring the motives for official promotion of such cultural tourism and the varied receptions of heritage sites by military personnel by nationality, rank, social and educational background, and gender.
This will be set against the wider background of heritage in wartime Florence, including Italian protection measures; damage caused by Allied bombardment; German appropriation of works of art and demolitions on withdrawal; policies and structures (German Kunstschutz and Allied Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Sub-Commission) established, ostensibly, for protection of cultural heritage; recovery of appropriated art; and post-war reconstruction of Florence’s built heritage.
The student’s research will form part of Dr. Pollard’s project on protection and reception of cultural heritage in conflict zones, historical and contemporary, with its historical (Second World War) component designed to inform contemporary policy and practice in cultural property protection. It also lies within the remit of the College of Arts and Humanities CRAM (Conflict, Reconstruction and Memory) research group, and developing interests in the study of heritage within the College.
Eligibility
Applicants should have a first class or upper second class undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline and have completed or be working towards a Masters degree in an appropriate subject area (e.g. History (modern, early modern), Art History (especially early modern), Heritage, Italian Studies).
Candidates should also have a good reading knowledge of Italian and/or German, with a willingness to develop competence in the other language. Some experience of/familiarity with research in archives (especially Second World War military and wartime memoirs and diaries) would be an advantage.
This scholarship is open to UK, EU and international applicants.
Funding
The studentship covers the full cost of UK/EU tuition fees only.
International students are welcome to apply, but will be required to pay the difference between the UK/EU fee level and the international fee level.
The successful candidate may also be eligible to apply for funding from the Research Institute in Arts and Humanities’ Research Support Fund amounting to £600 for the length of the research period.
How to Apply
To apply for this studentship, please complete the College of Arts and Humanities Research Scholarship Application Form and return, along with:
- CV
- A covering letter
- Sample of academic writing
to:
Gabriella Wasiniak,
Graduate Centre Administrator,
Room 414a,
College of Arts and Humanities,
Keir Hardie Building,
Swansea University,
Singleton Park,
SA2 8PP
Gabriella Wasiniak: g.wasiniak@swansea.ac.uk
The deadline for applications is Friday 17 June 2016 .
Informal enquiries about this studentship are welcome, and may be directed to Dr Nigel Pollard by email (N.D. Pollard@Swansea.ac.uk) or by telephone (+44 01792 295926).
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/history-phd-war-cultural-heritage-florence.php