Prof Chris Ashford
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Applications are invited for a project addressing the theme of sexuality and identity and concurrent points of resistance and legal mobilisations.
The last two decades have seen a seismic shift in the sexual legal landscape with particular reference to gay and lesbian lives (Harding 2011). These changes have prompted celebration by some (see, Weeks 2007) and others to question whether we are seeing ‘the end of the homosexual’ (see Altman 2013). Yet with these new-found rights and protections has come the emergence of a homonormative narrative (Duggan 2003, Ashford 2011) which enshrines in law an identity that is anchored in domesticity and Rubin’s (1984) conceptualisation of ‘good’ sex.
The continued of presence of ‘bad sex’ sexual phenomena therefore presents an interesting challenge to this narrative and has acted as points of resistance. Notable legal interventions include proposed bans of bareback pornography in the United States and further pornography regulation in England and Wales.
Applications addressing the subjects of bareback sex, and pornography more generally will be particularly encouraged but any project considering the themes of this project are welcome. Applicants should clearly indicate where they would wish to focus the project. The research is likely to have an empirical dimension to it, and knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods is desirable. Familiarity with and a desire to engage further with queer theory will be particularly welcome.
The research will be conducted within the Gender, Sexuality, and Law Research Interest Group which is part of the Law and Society Research grouping in the Faculty of Business and Law. Examples of current doctoral work being undertaken within this group include: same sex relationships and normative expectations, public sex and risk, kink pornography and legal consciousness, equality and anti-discrimination law, and international law, detention and sexual orientation and gender identity.
Eligibility and How to Apply
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required (evidence required by 1 August 2017).
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please ensure you quote the advert reference above on your application form.
Deadline for applications: 20 January 2017
Start Date: 2 October 2017
Northumbria University is an equal opportunities provider and in welcoming applications for studentships from all sectors of the community we strongly encourage applications from women and under-represented groups.
Funding Notes
This project is being considered for funding in competition with other projects, through one of two types of funding packages available:
• Fully funded studentships include a full stipend, paid for three years at RCUK rates for 2017/18 (this is yet to be set, in 2016/17 this is £14,296 pa) and fees (Home/EU £4,350 / International £13,000 / International Lab-based £16,000), and are available to applicants worldwide.
• As Northumbria celebrates its 25th anniversary as a University and in line with our international outlook, some projects may also be offered to students from outside of the EU supported by a half-fee reduction.
References
Ashford, C (2016) ‘Queering Consent: (Re)evolving Constructions of the Age of Consent and the Law’, in Ashford, C, Reed, A and Wake, N, Legal Perspectives on State Power: Consent and Control (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing).
Ashford, C (2015) ‘Bareback Sex, Queer Legal Theory, and Evolving Socio-Legal Contexts’, Sexualities 18(1-2) 195-209.
Ashford, C (2012) ‘From Cruising to Dogging: The Surveillance and Consumption of Public Sex’, in Rivers, I and Ward, R, Out of the Ordinary: Representations of LGBT Lives (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing) 77-92.
Ashford, C (2012) ‘Heterosexuality, Public Places and Policing’, in P.Johnson and D.Dalton, Policing Sex (Abingdon and New York: Routledge) 41-53.
Ashford, C (2011) ‘(Homo)normative Legal Discourses and the Queer Challenge’, 1(1) Durham Law Review 77-98.
Ashford, C (2010) ‘Barebacking and the Cult of ‘Violence’: Queering the Criminal Law’, Journal of Criminal Law, 74(4): 339-357.