PhD funding, Queens University Belfast: Documentary, digital technologies and urban change in Brazil One Department for Employment & Learning (DEL) Strategic Award is available for full-time postgraduate PhD research in the School of Modern Languages, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Queen’s University Belfast. Supervised by: Dr Tori Holmes (Lecturer in Brazilian Studies, School of Modern Languages) and Prof. Cahal McLaughlin (Professor of Film Studies, School of Creative Arts) Despite a tradition of documentary scholarship in Brazil (oriented primarily to individual films and filmmakers) and the emerging body of work in English on digital documentary, there is only limited work on the role of digital technologies in the production and circulation of documentary material, understood broadly, in Brazil. By exploring the intersection of audiovisual and digital culture in Brazil, this project aims to address this gap. The specific focus will be the role of audiovisual collectives. Whilst this type of grouping is not unprecedented in Brazil, given the country’s rich history of grassroots/contestatory media production, audiovisual collectives have come to particular prominence as a result of the widespread Brazilian protests of 2013, ongoing conflicts about models of urban development associated with sporting megaevents, and the circulatory and interactive possibilities of digital media. The studentship is available to support research exploring the impact of such collectives on urban change in Brazil, asking what their role has been in documenting, debating, and giving visibility to this issue, and how this is enabled by digital technologies. Inspired by Whitemans coalition model of documentary impact, proposals are sought which link digital audiovisual material to its production and distribution processes, the wider political context and the influence of audiovisual material in mainstream and non-mainstream discourses. Methodological innovation is encouraged, particularly in the development of a fieldwork-driven approach to these issues. Native or near-native fluency in Portuguese and English is required for this studentship (if not a native speaker of Portuguese, candidates should have at least a 2:1 in an undergraduate degree with Portuguese as a key component), as well as an MA degree in a relevant area. Eligibility: this studentship is available to UK and EU residents only; non-EU residents are not eligible for this scheme. UK residents are eligible for full fees and maintenance awards. Other EU-resident (including Republic of Ireland) applicants are eligible for a fees-only award. Candidates should apply via the universitys Postgraduate Application Portal and submit a research proposal which addresses the theme of the studentship. For more information please see: qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofModernLanguages/Postgraduates/FundingOpportunities/ Closing date for applications: 5pm on Friday 27 February Applicants must contact the lead supervisor, Dr Tori Holmes ([email protected]) before submission.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 09:03:12 +0000