South African Research Chair in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma
Call for Applications:
Doctoral Scholarships
Deadline: Friday, 9 June 2023
The South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma at Stellenbosch University is seeking applications for PhD scholarships funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF). In the first phase of the application process, the SARChI Chair and Stellenbosch University research team will be responsible for shortlisting candidates and the NRF will make the final decision in the second stage of the process. Shortlisted candidates will be assisted with submitting their applications on the NRF Online Submission System.
Successful applicants will be provided with funds to support study-related costs, such as research workshops, fieldwork support and conference attendance. The SARChI Chair Works with an interdisciplinary team of senior researchers with extensive research and supervision experience with the following interest areas that students may choose as research topics or related areas of interest:
- Violent histories and their transgenerational afterlife.
- Understanding the historical roots of institutional culture/s at historically white universities and its impact on diverse or specific student groups.
- The transgenerational repercussions of violent histories on citizens who did not suffer oppression and on their descendants, with a focus on shame.
- Revisiting specific aspects of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or specific aspects of the Rwanda post-genocide democratization processes.
- Violent Histories, Memory, and Sites of Trauma.
- Gender violence and disrupting patriarchy.
- Patriarchal violence at the intersections of race, class, sexuality, and other social sites of oppression.
- (methodological) strategies for disrupting patriarchy.
- Cultural responses and the role of the arts (visual arts, literature, film, performance) in processes of repair and “healing” historical trauma.
The following are eligibility criteria for shortlisting candidates:
- PhD applicants must have an MA degree in Humanities/Social Sciences with a minimum aggregate mark of at least 65%;
- Demonstrable knowledge of qualitative research methods will be ascribed high importance.
- A key criterion for selection of students will be the fit between their interests and abilities and the focus of the SARChI Chair programme or the specific topics listed above.
Application Procedure:
Submit your application via email to Dr. Samantha van Schalkwyk [samanthavs@sun.ac.za] with the following information:
- A cover letter explaining why you are interested in the scholarship.
- A draft research proposal of no longer than 8 pages, 1.5-spaced, including a reference list of no more than a page long.
- A copy of your Master’s thesis.
- An example of your writing (journal article, chapter, or essay).
- Your CV, indicating your date of birth, year you completed your Master’s
- degree, and the names of two contactable academic referees.
- Copies of all official academic records (certified copies).
- Certified copy of Identity document.
Email enquiries for more information about the scholarships may be sent to Dr. Samantha van Schalkwyk at samanthavs@sun.ac.za with the following subject title written in capital letters: DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIP ENQUIRY 2023.
Closing Date: Friday, 9 June 2023