- PhD scholarship opportunity in Asian Studies at Curtin University
- “Moving Images: Human Rights and the Politics of Photography in the Asia-Pacific” supervised by Dr Vannessa Hearman
- The annual scholarship package (stipend and tuition fee) is $60,000 – $70,000
- Applications close 25 August 2023
- Click here to read more and apply
Curtin University is advertising scholarship opportunities for Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) students seeking to commence in 2024. Expressions of Interest are invited from suitably qualified potential applicants for the Curtin University project ‘Moving Images: Human Rights and the Politics of Photography in the Asia-Pacific’. This graduate student project will be supervised by historian, Dr Vannessa Hearman and leading scholars in art history and visual cultures.
Project description
Photography has become an essential tool in the hands of human rights activists and those intent on mobilising viewers into action. Photographs are framed globally and presented to diverse audiences as showing supposedly mutually intelligible, common experiences of suffering. Iconic images, those with a high impact, circulation, and recognition value, have come to underpin knowledge about world historical events. Scholars have turned their attention to the study of how, on the one hand, images ‘move’ people to act based on emotional responses to viewing images, but on the other, the limited capacity of photographs to bring about substantial and lasting change. This project examines how images function and the role of image-brokers (including photographers, activists and communities in the Asia-Pacific region) in producing and circulating images that represent social and political issues. Broadly framed as human rights-related, images in circulation represent issues such as decolonisation, democracy, environmental protection, and climate change. In this project, researchers will apply a framework drawn from the field of international history and visual- and photographic studies to analyse one or several cases drawn from the Asia-Pacific region to probe the extent to which the practices of taking and circulating photographs can create change.
Scholarship value
The annual scholarship package (stipend and tuition fees) is approx. $60,000 – $70,000 p.a.
Successful HDR applicants for admission will receive a 100% fee offset for up to 4 years, stipend scholarships at the 2023 RTP rate valued at $32,250 p.a. for up to a maximum of 3 years, with a possible 6 month completion scholarship. Applicants are determined via a competitive selection process and will be notified of the scholarship outcome in November 2023.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should have completed a BA (Honours) or Master’s degree in History, Politics, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Sociology, or an associated discipline. They should preferably have a working knowledge of the main language(s) needed to undertake research and be prepared to undertake training in the necessary skills to complete the project. Applicants should also have excellent written and oral communication skills, be able to work in teams, and have some experience in qualitative research methods. Previous research experience and outputs will be highly regarded.
Application process
If this project excites you, and your research skills and experience are a good fit for this specific project, you should contact the Project Lead (listed below in the enquires section) via the Expression of Interest (EOI) form. ahead of the closing date. Please note you should apply as soon as possible, as once a suitable candidate has been identified this opportunity will no longer be available to receive an EOI.
Click here to read more and apply.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
