Exploring the relationship between colonial Kolkata/Calcutta and Glasgow, both fortuitously known as 'second city of empire'

This project will explore the relationship between colonial Calcutta and Glasgow, both fortuitously known as 'second city of empire'. Glasgow contains a rich repository of books and manuscripts relevant to 18th and 19th century British India. The University's Special Collections include early material from the Hunter collection, and there are later manuscripts and papers from the many Scots who made their careers in India as merchants, soldiers, physicians, linguists, civil servants and naturalists. Against the intellectual and institutional background of the Scottish Enlightenment, which had great salience in early 19th century Bengal, the project will contribute to the understanding of cultural contact in the colonial period. The Leverhulme doctoral student will therefore work on Glasgow's Indian collections. Via established links with Kolkata, the student will spend six months working in India with a base in the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences (CSSS), providing excellent access to library and museum collections in Bengal, in order to complement the study of Scottish Indian archives. Working under a supervisory team with a special interest in Travel Literature (Professor Nigel Leask) and Professor Mary Ellis Gibson (PI on a BA funded network on 'Second Cities of Empire'), the student will have the opportunity to participate in the network and related events.

Candidates wishing to submit an application should prepare and submit the following documentation:

. The application form which includes a personal statement in which you should detail the particular attributes and/or achievements which make you a suitable candidate to undertake the proposed project
Your CV
. Your degree transcripts
. Two references in support of your application

The closing date for receipt of complete applications is Friday, 25 March 2016. Applications should be emailed to Adeline Callander, Graduate School Administrator ([Email Address Removed]).

http://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/arts/graduateschool/fundingopportunities/leverhulmetrustscholarships