This project draws together social justice and cultural history to investigate modern slavery as a topic of film across the past twenty years. We anticipate that the project will focus on Anglophone productions (whether documentary and/or fictionalised feature films). The research will be undertaken with two aims. Firstly, it will investigate the production of film – while there have been a couple of big budget movies (eg Taken, 2008), has the topic of modern slavery been too controversial in other instances to attract mainstream investment? Secondly, researching both mainstream and independent media, it will consider whether such texts shed light on what we do / don’t call modern slavery, and what is filtered out of the popular press. The project will incorporate interviews with agencies that support victims of modern slavery for their views of these texts, seeking to access a broad range of opinions from organisations both local and national.
This PhD project is interdisciplinary, meaning that the successful candidate will be a part of the Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Education and the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation.
For informal enquiries, please contact Dr David Eldridge ([Email Address Removed])
For more information, watch a recording here of a webinar held in December 2021. You'll hear from programme leaders, supervisors and students talking about the funded opportunities available.
About the research cluster
The successful candidate will join a vibrant, interdisciplinary research environment at the University of Hull's Cultures of Incarceration Centre (CIC) which is proud of its growing postgraduate community.
Based in the Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Education, the Cultures of Incarceration Centre explores creative responses to the experience of incarceration across cultures and continents, with ‘incarceration’ applied to a host of historical and contemporary contexts, including prisons, pandemics, and modern slavery. Our work informs wider discussions of race, class, gender, humanity, and citizenship in countries across the world, and pioneers new interdisciplinary ways of working with colleagues from across subject areas and in collaboration with external partners and stakeholders.
Please note that the successful candidate should be prepared to undertake fieldwork (whether in Hull, nationally, or internationally) as required.
Submission of thesis
Submission of your final thesis is expected within three years and three months from the start of your PhD scholarship for full time and within five years and six months if studying part-time.
If you need to move into a fourth year (full time) or sixth year (part-time) to complete your thesis, please note that you will not receive a tuition fee waiver or maintenance grant during this period.
Eligibility, entry requirements and how to apply
To find out more about the eligibility criteria, entry requirements and how to apply, please visit the University of Hull PhD scholarships webpage.
International applicants
This opportunity comes with a home fee waiver only.
Closing date for applications
Midnight, 31 January 2022
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