Chemicals and their Users in the British Home, 1930s-1980s
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
STARTING OCTOBER 2012
An AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award studentship covering stipend and tuition fee costs is offered in the Department of History, Philosophy and Religion at Oxford Brookes University (OBU) in collaboration with the Science Museum.
This project aims to examine the relationship between the public and chemistry in hitherto unexplored manner. While the introduction of electricity into the home has attracted much interest, the introduction of branded chemical products into the home has not been examined by historians at all. Yet the introduction of these products was linked to a major shift in the way that people engaged with chemistry. This shift took place in the 1960s and 1970s, when it is often assumed that public trust in chemistry waned. By studying chemicals and their use in the home before, during, and after this period, this project will therefore not only explore people's relationship to chemistry, but it will also investigate how and why public attitudes towards it changed in the third quarter of the 20th century.
Oral history will play an important part in this study. A public appeal will also be made for donations of home recipes and notebooks. The project will therefore not only involve the use of existing oral histories, museum collections of chemicals and packaging, and archives, but will also include an important element of resource creation. The PhD student, who will be based within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at OBU, will acquire training in oral history and other research methods, as well as gain experience in handling museum collections, curating an exhibition, and organising public demonstrations with household chemicals.
Supervision will be available from Dr Viviane Quirke (OBU) and Dr Peter Morris (Science Museum). The studentship will be based in Oxford with periods spent in London and elsewhere in the UK, particularly in the second year, when the student will carry out interviews and do research in the Science Museum, in the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, and in other archives. OBU and the Science Museum are vibrant research communities. The successful candidate will be expected to participate fully in the life of both communities.
By the commencement of the PhD studentship in October 2012, applicants should have completed a good first degree and a postgraduate degree in a relevant subject, such as Modern British History, History of Science, Technology and Medicine (HSTM), Science and Technology Studies (STS), Sociology, and/or Anthropology.
Applicants must also be UK or EU citizens and be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Further information on eligibility requirements is available in the Guide to Student Funding on the AHRC website: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk
How to Apply
To request an application pack , please email:
Charmian Hearne, Research Administrator, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
chearne@brookes.ac.uk. Tel tel: + 44 (0) 1865 48 4998
The deadline for applications is 9 July 2012 and hard copy applications should be sent to:
Charmian HearneResearch AdministratorFaculty of Humanities and Social SciencesOxford Brookes UniversityGipsy Lane CampusHeadingtonOxford, OX3 0BP
England
It is anticipated that interviews will take place at Oxford Brookes University during the week of 30 July 2012. For more on the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at OBU please visit our web site at: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/faculties/hss/
For informal enquiries concerning the project contact Dr Viviane Quirke (vquirke@brookes.ac.uk).
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