Following the establishment of a ‘mini Centre for Doctoral Training’ (mini-CDT) in Sport and Citizenship at Loughborough University, applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by the University’s Graduate School to start on October 1st 2015. The Sport and Citizenship mini-CDT is a joint initiative of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and the School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences. This mini-CDT seeks to research the diverse ways in which active citizenship is pursued by different individuals and social groups in and through sport.
Sports provide a crucial social field in which recognition and citizenship are pursued by diverse social organizations, actors and groups, notably along the lines of class, gender, ethnicity, region or nationality, and sexuality. This PhD studentship focuses on sexuality in sport and will examine the role of key stakeholders – notably fans, sports officials, clubs and administrators, non-governmental organizations, and pressure groups – with regards to the extent of discrimination, intolerance and prejudice. At the level of policy, sports such as football have recognized these struggles: for example, in its Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Action Plan, the English Football Association outlined a strategy ‘for addressing incidents of discrimination in English football and encouraging greater inclusion across the game’; likewise, the governing body of European football, UEFA, argues that social responsibility is a key tenet of its anti-discrimination strategy. Despite these policies, however, there is evidence to suggest that forms of exclusion, discrimination and intolerance continue to undermine the full recognition and participation of the LGBT community. The PhD study will substantially advance our knowledge of the politics of citizenship within sport and will benefit substantially from our external links with Stonewall as the non-academic project partner. Moreover, the study will facilitate deeper understandings of the role of sport and other fields of popular culture in shaping the wider politics of citizenship; of the roles of different political and social actors in shaping citizenship struggles; and, of how citizenship struggles over sexuality are occurring in contemporary society.
The studentship is for 3 years and is intended to start on October 1st 2015. The studentship provides a tax-free stipend of £13,863 per annum, plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate, for the duration of the studentship. International (non-EU) students may apply for this studentship, but will need to find the difference in fees between those for a ‘UK/EU’ and ‘international’ student themselves. For more information on fees, please see: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/finance/research/
Applicants will normally need to hold at least an upper 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in a social science discipline. A relevant Master’s degree in the social sciences and/or experience in this area will be an advantage.
General information about the school of Social Sciences can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/socialsciences/
For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Jamie Cleland: j.cleland@lboro.ac.uk
To apply, please complete the online application using the following
link: https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1
The closing date for applications is 27 February 2015
Interviews will take place in March
Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15SSEHS/M5
