Job offer History: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Studentship in History with Museum Wales

The project will be overseen and hosted by a partnership of Bangor and Swansea universities, Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales (NLW). This will give the student access to a wide range of resources, expertise, training and support. Amgueddfa Cymru and the NLW both hold unique collections related to the movement and the student will help both institutions interpret and present their collections. The final stages of the research will involve knowledge transfer activities to ensure the research's key messages are disseminated. This will include creating learning resources for schools in conjunction with the education departments of NLW and Amgueddfa Cymru. As such, the PhD represents an opportunity for a student not just to make a significant contribution to the history of Wales but also to learn invaluable skills in professional settings that will support their future career aspirations.

Undergraduate

Skills/Qualifications

PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level and a master's degree with a minimum overall grade at 'Merit'. Alternatively, applicants with a UK first class honours degree (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) not holding a master's degree, will be considered on an individual basis.

Note for international and European applicants:

English Language:IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here., English Language:IELTS 6.5 Overall (with no individual component below 6.5) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here., PhD: Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level and a master's degree with a minimum overall grade at 'Merit'. Alternatively, applicants with a UK first class honours degree (or non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) not holding a master's degree, will be considered on an individual basis.

Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales, National Library of Wales, and Swansea and Bangor Universities are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from 1 October 2026 under the AHRC's Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme

The PhD will investigate the history of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in Wales, 1945-1994, working with material and archival collections held at Wales' national museum and library.

The student will be based at Swansea University, Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales. Additional supervision and support will be provided from Bangor University.

The anti-apartheid movement in Wales was a coalition of different interests. It included members of the Black community and representatives of faith groups and the Labour and Welsh-language movements. But its activities also brought it into conflict with organisations and individuals across the spectrum of Welsh society. Responses to the campaign revealed deep divisions within Welsh society over race, international politics and methods of protest and campaigning. This PhD will examine the makeup, strategies and impact of the anti-apartheid movement in Wales. It will investigate what the movement reveals about wider Welsh society and anti-apartheid politics in the UK.

Research questions:
1. Who was involved in the anti-apartheid movement and what were its tactics and strategy?
2. What do the dynamics of the movement reveal about race in Wales?
3. How did the movement encourage and contribute to wider anti-racism work within Wales?
4. Was there a uniquely Welsh dimension to the anti-apartheid movement?
5. Did the movement have longer-term political impacts and ramifications?