Queering Geopolitics: LGBT+ Communities and the War in Ukraine (Advert Reference: RDF18/GES/CASSIDY)

LGBT+ rights delineate a key arena for discord between Putin’s Russia and the liberal democracies of the European Union and elsewhere. Ongoing ‘anti-gay’ legislative reform that seeks to reinforce so-called ‘traditional values’ within Russia, has been described as a form of moral sovereignty (Wilkinson, 2014), which has enabled Russia to continue to refuse to respect the human rights of these minorities. It is therefore surprising that the role of this queer geopolitics has not become a prominent feature of academic research and thinking in relation to the current territorialisation of this clash of political projects, namely the war in Ukraine. Whilst the LGBT+ community played an active role in Euromaidan and the promotion of LGBT+ rights is seen to be a key component of so-called ‘European values’, which were central to the protest and movement as a whole, the situation in Ukraine has been complicated by the rise of right-wing groups, whose extreme nationalist agenda was also emboldened to some extent by the movement as well. Although there is a Pride march organised in Kyiv every year and the legislation is in place to prevent discrimination and to prosecute hate crimes on the grounds of gender and sexuality, LGBT+ communities across Ukraine continue to be subject to sometimes violent attacks and also wider social exclusion, often on a similar ‘traditional values’ basis to that observed in Russia. The purpose of this project will be to explore the current conflict in Ukraine through this lens of queer geopolitics, elucidating the complex subjectivities of LGBT+ communities and their relationship to not only local and national structures of power and discourses on the conflict but also transnational connections. The project will necessitate long-term, multi-sited fieldwork in Ukraine, in order to develop a nuanced understanding of these processes.

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.
• Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.

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 note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF18/…) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: 28 January 2018

Start Date: 1 October 2018

Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality and is a member of the Euraxess network, which delivers information and support to professional researchers.