About the Project
This PhD funded by AHRC via the Scottish Graduate School in Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) investigates the colonial consumption and the display of Australia at the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) during the ‘long nineteenth century’ (c.1768-1904). This was a period of intense colonial activity and expansion, reflected in museum practices of collecting and classification. Crucially, it covers the formation and transformation of the national museum from an Industrial Museum, into a Museum of Science and Art, and the separation of once-conjoined collections in disciplinary, curatorial and institutional terms. NMS offers extensive primary materials reflecting early colonial-era Scottish engagements with First Australians and their environments. Its collection of approximately 3900 objects from Australia contains a significant proportion of First Australian cultural artefacts and important natural specimens with associated documentary archives, including correspondence, accession records, curatorial files, and other institutional records.
The project investigates three primary questions:
- What do the NMS’s expansive cross-disciplinary collections reveal about the role of Scots in colonial expansion in Australia and their understanding of the so-called ‘Terra nullius’?
- How did the disciplinary-based interpretation of these collections shape the display of Australia in Scotland in terms of its people and the environment?
- What might the repercussions of historic collecting and interpretive choices mean for mediating knowledge about first Australians within museums today?
As a collaborative doctoral award, the student will gain first-hand experience of work outside the university environment as well as enhanced research skills. In addition to training opportunities provided by the University of Aberdeen and in-house by NMS, the student will have access to training and development provided via SGSAH including access to funding to support museum-based and archival research internationally.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop their theoretical and organisational approach in consultation with their supervisory team as the project develops. It is anticipated that their research will challenge historic representations of First Australians’ cultures and environments and provide a roadmap for the future care and display of the collections. The findings will be incorporated into the NMS online searchable databases, improving information and access for First Australians about their dispersed material heritage, and laying the groundwork for future decolonial and collaborative initiatives.
Supervision will be provided by:
- Professor Alison Brown, Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen (lead supervisor)
- Dr Rachel Smith, Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen (second academic supervisor)
- Dr Alison Clark, Global Arts, Cultures & Design, National Museums Scotland (partner supervisor)
Informal enquiries are encouraged. Please direct academic or general project enquiries to alison.brown@abdn.ac.uk or rachel.smith1@abdn.ac.uk. Questions relating to NMS/Collections should be addressed to a.clark@nms.ac.uk at NMS.
———————————
Candidate Background:
We are looking for a motivated student who is keen to capitalise on this opportunity to develop their ideas, skills, and research independence in a highly supportive environment. Candidates should have an enthusiasm both for museum work and academic research and a willingness to work collaboratively with the supervision team, museum colleagues, and Indigenous communities, as appropriate. Experience of working with museum collections and/or archives is desirable, though training in these areas will also be provided according to the student’s needs. Demonstrable familiarity with First Australian history, culture and contemporary issues is also desirable.
Applicants should have a first or upper-second class honours degree in a relevant arts and humanities or social science subject, for example, Anthropology, History, Art History, or Indigenous Studies. They should also normally hold, or be working towards, a Masters degree, for example, in Museum Studies, Cultural Geography, Environmental Humanities or similar, and a commitment to interdisciplinary research. Any potential applicants without a Masters degree but with significant relevant professional/lived experience are advised to outline their skills, experience and knowledge in their cover letter stating how this experience is commensurate with a Masters-level qualification. We actively encourage applications from diverse career paths and backgrounds and across all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status, amongst other protected characteristics.
The student will be based in Aberdeen but will be expected to spend a considerable period of time in Edinburgh, undertaking research at NMS and related archives. As there may be opportunities for international research travel to consult related collections and archives, it is essential that the student be prepared to travel in connection with this award.
