PhD Studentship in Ghanaian Literature

Qualification Type: PhD

Location: London

Funding for: UK Students, EU Students, International Students

Funding amount: £19,237 stipend per annum

Hours: Full time

Closes: 20 October 2024 (23:59 UK time)

King’s College London invites applications for one funded, three-year, full time PhD in the Department of English, in association with the UKRI-funded project Decolonization, Appropriation and the Materials of Literature in Africa and its Diaspora (LITAID). 

It is envisaged that the student will commence on 1 February 2025. The studentship will cover full programme tuition fees at either home or international rate. There is also an annual stipend set at £19,237 (the standard UKRI rate). 

The PhD project associated with this studentship will focus on Ghanaian literary production during the period of formal decolonization (c. 1946-1962). It will examine a range of authors and institutions, and explore how far the literary practices of the period were shaped by transcultural and multilingual interactions and appropriations. It will be informed by methods of literary sociology, book history, and comparative literature, and will require extensive research in archives and the ability to work with texts in several languages. 

LITAID: Decolonization, Appropriation and the Materials of Literature in Africa and its Diaspora project

LITAID addresses questions about the materials of literature and how these are appropriated from one literary culture to another. It does this by focusing on literary decolonization in Africa and its diaspora, and by looking especially at the literary field in Ghana, considering its transnational dimensions from the perspective of local artists and institutions as well as a range of literary travellers who came seeking decolonial resources for their own communities. 

Adopting an innovative approach combining methodologies of world literature, literary sociology, book history, poetics and narratology, the history of education, and digital humanities, LITAID examines Ghanaian print culture; the role of schools and universities in literary decolonization; the transnational dimensions of Ghanaian literary culture; relations between Ghanaian, South African, Caribbean and African American literary cultures; and the careers of several major authors. 

The Department of English at King’s College London

The PhD student will be registered at King’s College London. They will be supervised by Dr Jarad Zimbler, with second supervision provided by another member of staff at King’s as appropriate.

The Department of English at King's was one of the first English departments in the world and remains world-leading in both research and teaching. Studying with us means learning alongside other talented students who excel in their creative and critical thinking.  

The Department of English is home to a large and diverse body of postgraduate researchers. Students are fully integrated into the intellectual and social life of the Department as researchers and teachers. Many of our students study part-time, commute or have caring responsibilities and the programmes allow flexibility. 

Our expertise is split across research strands, covering the full chronological range of literary periods. Current and recent research projects include: Indian writing of WW2; the bedchamber in late medieval literature; African migrant literature and US politics, and telegraphy and Victorian culture. For more information, please visit the department web pages. 

How to apply

For further information including details of how to apply, please visit: PhD Studentship in Ghanaian Literature, King’s College London (kcl.ac.uk).

For further questions or informal enquiries, please contact Dr Jarad Zimbler (jarad.zimbler@kcl.ac.uk).

Advert information