Dr A Keeble, Prof L Dryden
Applications accepted all year round
Self-Funded PhD Students Only
About the Project
This project will examine the way literature has represented and responded to the phenomenon of suicide terrorism - from Conrad’s The Secret Agent (2007) to Yasmina Khadra’s The Attack {2007) and beyond. It will examine the complex interplay between the symbolic and the real which has characterized suicide terror for over a century, and provide a much needed update to Alex Houen’s Terrorism and Modern Literature (2002). At the heart of the project will be the probing of intersections between representation and reality investigating both the ways in which writers, directors and artists have responded to terrorism but also the way terrorists have responded to representations.
Academic qualifications
A first degree (at least a 2.1) ideally in Literary Studies with a good fundamental knowledge of terrorism studies and literary and critical theory.
English language requirement
IELTS score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 6.0 in each of the four components). Other, equivalent qualifications will be accepted. Full details of the University’s policy are available online.
Essential attributes:
• Experience of fundamental interdisciplinary research in the humanities;
• Competent in textual analysis;
• Knowledge of C20 and C32 Literature;
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Strong motivation, with evidence of independent research skills relevant to the project
• Good time management
Desirable attributes:
Understanding key debates in study of terrorism before and after 9/11.
When applying for this position please quote project code SACI0002
Funding Notes
This is an unfunded Ph.D. opportunity
References
Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent (1907)
John Updike, Terrorist (2006)
Yasmina Khadra, The Attack (2007)
Hany Abu-Assad, Paradise Now (2005)
Alex Houen, Terrorism and Modern Literature (Oxford OUP: 2002)
Samuel Thomas 'Outtakes and Outrage: The Means and Ends of Suicide Terror' Modern Fictions Studies (2011).