Composing Resilience: The Role of Music in Post-Disaster Recovery and Community Resilience in the UK

The Leverhulme PhD Programme for Interdisciplinary Resilience Studies is administered by the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences. This particular project will sit under the Southampton Education School, Faculty of Social Sciences.

Overview

This project focuses on the role of music for disaster-affected people and communities in the UK in recovering from disasters and building back. Using archival, ethnographic and participatory methods, the student will explore how music can support community resilience and recovery after major disasters.  

SUMMARY

This project investigates how music can be leveraged to support recovery and resilience-building for communities affected by major disasters, using the Grenfell Tower disaster as a focal case study. The successful candidate will use this innovative project that combines historical research, ethnographic study, and hands-on community engagement to develop theoretical and empirical grounds for integrating music into disaster resilience and recovery. 

Working closely with disaster survivors, bereaved families, and community activists, the student will document and analyse how musical practices have contributed to community healing after the disaster through archival and ethnographic work. The project will also include a participatory research phase to co-design and deliver creative music workshops with young survivors. The findings will help shape policy recommendations for schools, informal educators, community organisations, while also advancing our understanding of the role of music in social justice and community resilience after disasters.  

We welcome applicants from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. The successful candidate will have knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas: qualitative social research, community-based social justice projects, music education and therapy, and disaster recovery and trauma-informed practice. 

They will join an interdisciplinary team of supervisors comprising experts in music, education, history and trauma and disaster studies. They will be an active member of the Southampton Centre for Music Education and Social Justice and Centre for Research in Inclusion, with Public Policy Southampton to support translating the research findings into real-world impact on policymakers and communities. 

General requirements 

You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree or higher in a relevant subject.  

You can also have its international equivalent. 

International applications 

If English is not your first language, you will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in all components. 

Visit our English language proficiency pages to find out about other qualifications we accept. 

How to apply 

• Apply to PhD in Education on the University of Southampton application portal. 
• Programme for Interdisciplinary Resilience Studies application documents 
• Narrative résumé 
• Standardised CV giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests 
• Name two current academic referees together with an institutional email addresses in the Reference section of the application form. On submission of your online application your referees will be automatically emailed requesting they send a reference to us directly by email. 
• Your academic transcript and degree certificate (translated if not in English) - if you have completed both a BSc & an MSc, we require both. 
• If a student-led application: research proposal document 
• IELTS/TOEFL certificate, if applicable. For more information, please see the University of Southampton's English Language Proficiency page. 
• https://pirs.soton.ac.uk/apply/ 

Please ensure that you provide all required documentation and information so that your application can be reviewed and processed.