ARTS OF AFRICA AND GLOBAL SOUTHS Research Programme
Fine Art Department, Rhodes University, South Africa
ARTS OF AFRICA AND GLOBAL SOUTHS comprises the Publishing and Research of the South: Positioning Africa (PROSPA) research programme funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa SARChI programme supported by the National Research Foundation in South Africa. Areas of postgraduate study include Art History, Visual Studies, Fine Art Practice and Curatorial Studies.
Professor Ruth Simbao, the NRF Research Chair in Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa invites suitable candidates to apply for postgraduate bursaries for PhD, MA/MFA and Honours studies in 2018. Successful applicants will be active participants in a supportive research group environment at Rhodes University and will work on topics that resonate with the core research of the Chair. Please see www.ru.ac.za/artsofafrica for more information on the research team and research areas.
Available degrees:
PhD in Art History (thesis only, 3 years)
MA in Art History (thesis only, 2 years)
MFA in Fine Art Practice (exhibition and thesis, 2 years)
MFA in Curatorial Studies (curated exhibition and thesis, 2 years)
Honours in Art History/4th year BFA (1 year)
Application process:
Please email the following information to Charmaine Mostert (c.mostert@ru.ac.za) by the 30th September 2017 and label your email “2018 Postgraduate Application”:
- A clear indication of which degree you would like to apply for and the relevant qualifications you have already completed
- Recent academic transcripts (shortlisted applicants will be requested to update these at the end of the academic year)
- A comprehensive CV
- A written statement that outlines your proposed research project, including context of research, goals of research, methodology and bibliography (2 pages for Honours, 4 pages for Masters, 6-8 pages for PhD)
- A statement that clearly outlines how your proposed research intersects with the research of the Arts of Africa and Global Souths research team
- A motivation that responds to the following questions: 1) Why do you wish to pursue postgraduate studies? 2) What do you perceive as the benefits of working in a research team that emphasizes a supportive and collaborative approach? 3) What would you be able to offer to this type of research environment? Please be as specific as possible.
- A sample of your writing (an article, book chapter, thesis or essay)
- Digital portfolio of Fine Art practice/curatorial work if applying for the MFA (this will be assessed by relevant staff who teach Fine Art Practice)
Please note that all applicants need to meet the requirements of the Fine Art Department and the University. Positions in the research team are competitive and limited, and are dependent on available supervision capacity in specific areas of research.
All successful applicants who are funded by the Arts of Africa and Global Souths research programme must study full time and be based in Grahamstown for the full duration of their studies.
Image: Thando Mama, Of Nationhood, video still (2015) Courtesy of the artist
