PhD studentship available for work on issues of identity and identification as part of a three year ESRC-funded project: If the Shoe Fits: Footwear, Identity and Transition. The project employs a material culture perspective to explore identity transitions via the example of shoes and the practice of shoe-wearing.
The studentship will involve collating and analysing representations of shoes (from fairy stories, folklore, popular culture and advertising) and undertaking empirical work relating to shoe consumption and divestment, such as shop-based participant observation. This work will contribute to the larger study which uses focus groups and individual case studies to explore shoe-wearing and the role of shoes as memory objects.
The postgraduate student will work alongside the research assistant and the principle and co-investigators, participating in team meetings and conferences. They will undertake an independent study, collating and analysing representations of shoes and developing and conducting an empirical study which focuses on shoe consumption and divestment. This work will, however, be closely allied with the larger ESRC project and theoretical and empirical material will be developed and shared across both studies.
The postgraduate student will be supervised by Professor Jenny Hockey and Dr Victoria Robinson.
Background: A social science or humanities Masters Degree, preferably in one of the following areas: Material Culture Studies; Anthropology; Sociology; Fashion Studies; English; Media Studies.
Please contact Professor Jenny Hockey or Dr Victoria Robinson for further information. email : j.hockey@sheffield.ac.uk
email : vicki.robinson@sheffield.ac.uk
Applications
Closing date for applications: 28 May 2010
Interviews will be held: June 2010
Application should be made via the University of Sheffield on line application process: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies/ppr/applying/apply.html
PhD Studentship in UK
