PhD Studentship: Minority Ethnic MPs in the UK Parliament Since 1987

ESRC DTP Collaborative Studentship

University of Leicester and History of Parliament Trust 

The Midlands Graduate School is an accredited Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). One of 14 such partnerships in the UK, the Midlands Graduate School is a collaboration between the University of Warwick, Aston University, University of Birmingham, University of Leicester, Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham.

The University of Leicester as part of Midlands Graduate School is now inviting applications for an ESRC Doctoral Studentship in association with our collaborative partner History of Parliament Trust to commence in October 2023.

In the 2019 general election 65 MPs from minority ethnic backgrounds were elected to the UK Parliament, but this diversity is not yet reflected in the oral histories collected by the History of Parliament Oral History project or the scholarly literature on MP’s lives and careers. The overall aims of this studentship are: to produce innovative academic knowledge about the political careers and experiences of minority ethnic MPs in the UK Parliament from across the political spectrum, capturing the diversity of those experiences and understanding how political institutions operated to shape them; to link these stories to broader narratives of recent British social history; to expand the collection of interviews and make them accessible to future researchers; to engage in knowledge exchange activities which will enhance public understanding of politics, its institutions and its personalities.

The successful applicant will work alongside staff and volunteers at the History of Parliament Trust to gain professional skills in oral history interviewing and cataloguing and experience of sharing their research with non-academic audiences alongside the completion of their thesis.

Applicants should have or be studying for a degree in History, Politics, or another social science discipline and a strong interest in Contemporary British History, Parliamentary Studies or Histories of Race and Ethnicity. Experience of oral history or qualitative interviewing and of public history would be desirable

Current undergraduates are eligible to apply and would follow a 1+3 route including a Masters year.

Application Process

To be considered for this PhD, please complete the Collaborative Studentship application form available online here. Please upload an anonymised CV and cover letter as part of the online application process. Shortlisted applicants will also be required to provide transcripts, two references and a writing sample.

Application deadline:  23^rd February 2023

Interview date: 7^th March, afternoon, online

Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP

Our ESRC studentships cover fees at the home rate, a maintenance stipend, and extensive support for research training, as well as research activity support grants. Support is available to both home and international applicants. For further details, visit: www.mgsdtp.ac.uk/studentships/eligibility/.

Informal enquiries about the research or History, Politics and International Relations prior to application can be directed to Dr Sally Horrocks, smh4@le.ac.uk. 

Details of the History of Parliament Oral History project can be found here https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/research/oral-history

Previous interviews available online are at https://sounds.bl.uk/Oral-history/The-History-of-Parliament-Oral-History-Project

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