The highly competitive AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award scheme bring together universities with the cultural sector to support a DPhil/PhD student in their work.

Mansfield College’s Jonathan Cooper Chair of the History of Sexualities, Professor Matt Cook, worked with the Museum of the Home to develop a project on growing up queer in the 19th century. The project aims to cast fresh light not only on queer experience and the impact of childhood on queer adult life, but illuminate from a different angle dimensions of 19th century home and family life, including shifting norms and notions of respectability in relation to bringing up children.

The successful candidate will be based at both the Museum and at Oxford, and will produce a doctoral thesis and contribute to public events and curation of a special and permeant displays at the Museum. They will also have a role in convening the annual Queer and Trans History Now conference at Mansfield (the first this June) which brings together cutting edge researchers in the field.  Matt Cook, will be the lead supervisor at Oxford, working with Christina de Bellaigue, an expert in the history of childhood.

"I’m so excited about this project and what it will uncover. My own research on queer homes and families focusses on the twentieth century and, to date, there has been very little work on growing up queer in the preceding century. The student will be breaking new ground – and doing that in the exciting twin contexts of Mansfield College and the Museum of Home."

Professor Matt Cook

This fully-funded studentship is available from October 2024.

The application window closes: midday, Friday 3 May 2024.

For details of how to apply, please see Mansfield’s Graduate Scholarships page, or visit the page on the University of Oxford’s website.