The project will be co-supervised by Robert Priest (Royal Holloway), Teresa Vernon and Sophie Defrance (British Library). It is funded through the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme, which offers doctoral studentships as part of collaborations between a Higher Education Institution and an organisation in the museums, libraries, archives and heritage sector.

The successful student will develop a PhD project that draws on the British Library’s rich collection of over 5,000 caricatures and images produced during the Franco-Prussian war and the Paris Commune. Most of these images are French and produced in Paris but there are also significant numbers of German illustrations and caricatures. These prints and images provide an opportunity to explore a pivotal year in modern European history through a transnational lens, and pose new questions about the politics of visual culture. The forthcoming 150th anniversary of the Franco-Prussian war and the Paris Commune in 2020-21 offers us the chance to promote and foster scholarship based on this exceptional collection of primary material.

The successful student will be expected to begin on 1 October 2020. The studentship is fully funded for 3 years and 9 months full-time or part-time equivalent, with the potential to be extended by a further 3 months to provide additional professional development opportunities. Overall, a minimum of 3 and up to 6 months of the total funded period will be spent on professional development. The doctoral grant will cover fees and pay the student a stipend at UKRI London rates. The British Library will also provide a research allowance of up to £1,000 a year for agreed research-related costs.

In addition to being able to draw on the researcher development opportunities and postgraduate community in both the Department of History and the Doctoral School at Royal Holloway, the successful student will become part of a vibrant cohort of collaborative doctoral researchers at the British Library, and benefit from staff-level access to its collections, resources and training programmes. They will also benefit from the dedicated programme of professional development and networking events delivered by the Library in tandem with the other museums, galleries and heritage organisations affiliated with the AHRC CDP scheme.

Please visit the 'External Link' below to view the full list of themes to bring this rich collection into a wider European context, details on the studentship's benefits and opportunities, funding notes, and information on eligibility and how to apply. To apply for this studentship, you must submit an online application via Royal Holloway's postgraduate application portal by 5pm on Monday 4 May 2020. Applications received after this date cannot be considered. All applicants must have a good reading knowledge of French and meet the standard UKRI residency requirements for Training Grants. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interviews at Royal Holloway in the week beginning 1 June 2020.