[Commlist] Funded PhD Opportunity (labour in craft/cultural industries)

Upcoming funded PhD opportunity in Creative & Cultural Industries at 
University College Dublin. I am currently recruiting a PhD student to 
work with me for up to 4 years of full-time study with 
compensation/benefits to include: a full tuition fee waiver, a stipend 
of €22,000 per annum, and €4,000 per annum for research.

Benjamin Anderson is particularly interested in supervising projects 
concerning the intersections of craft/cultural production and labour, 
particularly from a critical standpoint. The full call for expressions 
of interest is included below, but projects might include the following 
themes: worker-directed inquiry in neo-craft industries, craft in the 
Marxist tradition, and critical/radical research methodologies in 
cultural and craft industries. Please see below for a full list of themes.

Contact
(Benjamin.anderson /at/ ucd.ie)

Full ad:

Ad Astra PhD Studentships in the School of Art History and Cultural 
Policy, UCD

The School of Art History and Cultural Policy at University College 
Dublin is pleased to announce a generously funded Ad Astra PhD 
studentship in Creative & Cultural Industries. The award is open to both 
EU and non-EU candidates and includes a full tuition fee waiver, a 
stipend of €22,000 per annum, and €4,000 per annum for research. The 
award is for a maximum of four years of full-time PhD study. The 
studentship will be supervised by the School’s new Ad Astra Fellow, Dr 
Benjamin Anderson.
Further information on the position is below, followed by details on how 
to apply.

UCD PhD Studentship in Creative & Cultural Industries
Dr Anderson is interested in receiving proposals for research studies 
that interrogate work and labour in creative and cultural industries. He 
particularly welcomes proposals that engage with one or more of the 
following themes:
● Discrimination and marginalisation in neo-craft industries and worker 
responses.
● Worker-directed inquiry in neo-craft industries broadly defined 
(heritage clothing, third-wave coffee, artisan baking, craft brewing, etc.).
● Critical/radical research methodologies in cultural and craft 
industries (workers’ inquiry, worker/radical investigation, etc.).
● Progressive discourse and neoliberal ideology in cultural and craft 
industries.
● Historical and ideological roots of craft and neo-craft industries.
● The hipster economy and gentrification/urban change.
● Class composition, worker organising and international solidarity in
hipster/neo-craft industries.
● Independent labour union organising in craft and cultural industries.
● Craft in the Marxist theoretical tradition.
● Intersections of craft, labour process analysis, and managerial discourse.
● Other critical interrogations of working conditions and processes in 
craft,
creative, and cultural industries.

Requirements
● Strong academic record, including a master’s degree in a humanities or 
social
science discipline (sociology, communication, cultural policy, 
geography, etc.).
● A background or interest in critical studies of work and labour, 
including (but
not limited to): political economy, labour process analysis, workers’ 
inquiry,
and critical theory.
● Familiarity with or willingness to learn social and ethnographic research
methods.
● Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
● Proficiency in English (documentation may be required in some cases).
     Responsibilities:
● Completion and defence of a PhD thesis, adhering to UCD’s academic
standards.
● Production of research outputs and participation in conferences 
related to the
doctoral research.
● Collaboration with the supervisor, which may include joint research 
outputs.
● Active participation in seminars, workshops, and events relevant to 
the project
within the School of Art History & Cultural Policy, across UCD, and more
widely in the field.
● Completion of UCD’s Research Integrity training.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss your proposal prior to 
application, please contact Dr Anderson at (Benjamin.anderson /at/ ucd.ie)

Dr. Anderson is interested in political economy of 
communication/culture, critical labour theory, cultural studies, and 
activist research methodologies. His research concerns the working 
conditions, workplace cultures and pathways to worker organising in 
craft and creative industries. He’s particularly interested in the 
emerging neo-craft economy and how its discursive positioning often 
masks conditions of exploitation and exclusion. He is the author of a 
number of journal articles and book chapters on worker organising and 
working conditions in cultural industries. These have appeared in 
Labour/Le Travail, the Global Labour Journal, TOPIA: Canadian Journal of 
Cultural Studies, and elsewhere. His research is committed to promoting 
the interests of workers and aiding workers’ movements in building 
capacity for collective organising. You can learn more about Dr. 
Anderson and his research at https://people.ucd.ie/Benjamin.anderson

Information on the School and How to Apply:
UCD’s School of Art History and Cultural Policy is the largest art 
history department in Ireland and boasts the longest-running 
postgraduate MA course in Arts Management & Cultural Policy in Ireland, 
which is also one of the most established in Europe. The successful 
candidate will join a thriving research community closely connected with 
a range of national and international museums and cultural institutions, 
as well as with other schools and colleges at UCD. For more information 
on the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, please visit 
https://www.ucd.ie/arthistory/. More information on UCD’s Graduate 
Research programme is available here: https://www.ucd.ie/graduatestudies/.

Timeline:
● Closing date: 28 February 2025

Applications will be reviewed by a committee at School level. Applicants 
may be requested to conduct a Zoom interview as part of the application 
process. Applicants will be informed of a decision by 15 April, at which 
point the successful candidate may formally apply for admission to UCD. 
Students will be expected to be available to commence study in September 
2025 or January 2026.

Application Requirements:
Please submit the following to Dr Benjamin Anderson 
((Benjamin.anderson /at/ ucd.ie))
by the closing date:
Cover letter
CV
Writing sample
Two academic letters of reference
Proposal (1000-1500 words plus indicative bibliography)
Academic transcripts (official transcripts may be requested of the 
successful candidate)

*Dr Anderson encourages prospective candidates to reach out to him prior 
to applying in order to assess the fit of the project with his expertise 
and research priorities.

Assessment Criteria:
Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:
a) The candidate’s academic track record
b) The quality of the candidate’s application for entry to the 
University, including
the rigour and viability of the research proposal and the rationale for 
study
c) Lettersofrecommendation
-
---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ commlist.org)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------