[ Fellowship/s ]

Applications are invited for two fully-funded PhD studentships in Slavonic Studies (EU/UK rate**) covering the period 1 October 2010 to 31 September 2013, working under the supervision of Dr. Alexander Etkind in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages of the University of Cambridge. These awards have become available as a result of the award of a 2009 HERA JRP grant (Humanities in the European Research Area, Joint Research Program) in the category "Cultural Dynamics: Inheritance and Identity" for the collaborative research project “Memory at War: Cultural Dynamics in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine”. Deadline for applications: March 15, 2010.

The University of Cambridge is leading this project, which will be accomplished in association with the Universities of Bergen, Helsinki, Tartu, and Groningen. The project will involve multiple conferences, field trips, and publications in which the prospective PhD students will participate. Successful applicants for these awards are expected to begin PhD study on 1 October 2010.

Qualification requirements

Candidates should hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field, such as Slavonic Studies, Political Science, History, etc., and demonstrate a good command of one of three Slavonic languages (Polish, Russian, or Ukrainian), a reading knowledge of another of these languages (or eagerness to acquire this knowledge at Cambridge), and excellent writing skills in English. Experience in journalism or information technologies is a bonus.

New Admission Applicants

Applications should be made on paper to the Board of Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages simultaneously in the normal way by the CLOSING DATE FOR THESE APPLICATIONS/AWARDS which is 15 March 2010. See http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/gradstudies/applying/phd.html for details of how to apply and which documents to submit.

When sending the application to the Faculty and to the Board of Graduate Studies, it is important that applicants mark the envelope and top right corner of the application form “HERA” and indicate that the start date is 1 October 2010 on the application form. In the Research Statement, candidates are required to outline their original research project and explain how it will fit the Joint Research Program, “Memory at War: Cultural Dynamics in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.” Applicants should specify Dr. Alexander Etkind as supervisor on their application forms and are encouraged to contact Dr. Etkind (ae264@cam.ac.uk) to discuss the HERA project, Cambridge College selection, and their applications. Applicants should also email the MML Graduate Office (mml-graduate-studies@lists.cam.ac.uk) indicating that they have sent an application to the Faculty to be considered for these awards.

Applicants who have already applied for graduate PhD places at Cambridge
Applicants for this funding who have already applied for graduate PhD places at Cambridge via the admissions/leave to continue route should notify the MML Graduate Office (mml-graduate-studies@lists.cam.ac.uk) indicating by 26 February 2010 to indicate that they wish to be considered for these studentships and are willing to adjust their PhD proposals in relation to the HERA Joint Research Program outlined below. Such applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Etkind (ae264@cam.ac.uk) to discuss the HERA project and Cambridge College selection.

The HERA project

The Joint Research Program, “Memory at War: Cultural Dynamics in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine,” will explore the on-going dynamics of cultural forms of memory and the interactions of these forms inside and across Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. Inheriting tortured memories of World War II and Soviet socialism, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine are actualizing their post-traumatic energies in remarkably different and increasingly antagonistic ways. We are planning to create a corpus of what we call ‘thick databases’ of memory events, and a series of interpretations of their effects in different realms of culture and society in Eastern Europe. The project offers a new metric for measuring the profound changes that these countries have undergone since the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Moreover, the project will bring greater understanding of the hidden obstacles populating the cultural field – obstacles that have the potential to obstruct further and deeper changes. Introducing the concept of the memory event (a re-discovery of the past that creates a rupture with its accepted representation), the project examines (i) how myriad texts and artifacts of various cultural genres – novels, films, history textbooks, government decrees, monuments, and blog posts – perform memories of the traumas of the twentieth century; (ii) how artists, critics, bloggers, or historians in one country challenge, provoke, or imitate their counterparts in another country by virtue of this performance; (iii) how the nation-state participates in the public sphere by promoting, revising, or censoring these memories; and (iv) how the transnational dynamics of culture – particularly the prospect of a united and uniting Europe – affect the prospects of peace for the participants in the Memory War.

 

**
Overseas applicants can apply but should note that the funding is at the Home/EU rate, therefore they will have to secure additional funding in order to accept the studentship.

Dual nationalities Applicants with dual nationality should consult the Board of Graduate Studies website for eligibility criteria: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/funding/costs/status.html. The website provides criteria for classification as a Home or EU/Exchange student: There are a number of requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for Home or EU fees. Students must meet the requirements of both 'settled status' and 'ordinary residence': * Settled status/nationality means that students must be nationals of the UK or another EU country, or have the right of permanent residence or indefinite leave to remain in the UK ie they must not be subject under immigration laws to any restriction on the period for which they may stay in the UK. Students may also be the 'relevant family member' of an EU national (a relevant family member is generally a spouse or civil partner, a direct descendant, or a dependant). * Ordinary residence' means that in addition, students must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the EEA (defined as the EU together with Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway), Switzerland or the Overseas Territories for the three years prior to the start date of the course for which they are applying, and that residence should not have been wholly or mainly for the purposes of receiving education. If an applicant has both EU nationality and overseas nationality, the applicant must still meet the criteria for ordinary residence in order to be classified as a home student.

Visa applications

Those students who require visas, in order to study at Cambridge should note that the Faculty of History cannot assist in any part of the process. Instead, the first point of contact must be the visa section of the Board of Graduate Studies website: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/current/visas.html. It should be noted that the visa application process is a necessarily long process and applicants for these awards are expected to begin PhD study on 1 October 2010. The University of Cambridge Points Based Immigration Office contacts are as follows:

Mrs Catherine Fage, PBI Officer (email caf28@admin.cam.ac.uk, tel 01223 765114)
Ms Samantha Coulson, PBI Assistant (email slc74@admin.cam.ac.uk, tel 01223 337984)
Mr Matthew Wright, PBI Assistant (email mw470@admin.cam.ac.uk, tel 01223 764082)
Students should only contact the PBI office if their questions and queries are not adequately answered by the Board of Graduate Studies web section above.