Modern Languages, History: Maintaining difficult conversations whilst caring for the nation's m[...]

Swansea University; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 20,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university located in the United Kingdom is offering a PhD position in Language Sciences, focusing on the re-examination of Welsh history and its diverse narratives. Applicants should possess an upper second-class honours degree and a master's degree in a related field. Essential requirements include a strong command of Welsh. The position is fully funded with an annual stipend and additional research expenses. A commitment to anti-racist goals and ethical engagement with historical narratives is crucial.

Benefits

Full cost of tuition fees

Annual stipend at UKRI rate

Research expenses up to £500 per year

Qualifications

• Spanish language skills desirable but not essential for completing the work.
• Ability to speak and write in Welsh is essential.
• Acceptable English Language qualification if English is not first language.

Responsibilities

• Explore questions on Welsh history and its multicultural narratives.
• Re-interpret historical collections relating to Welsh settlement in Patagonia.
• Align educational resources with anti-racist goals.

Skills

Spanish language skills

Ability to speak and write in Welsh

Education

Upper second-class honours degree (2:1) or equivalent

Master's degree in a related subject

Job description

Organisation/Company Swansea University Department Central Research Field Language sciences » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 12 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/London) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The year 2025 marks the 160th anniversary of the landing of the Mimosa on the shores of Porth Madryn, an occasion that offers an opportunity to re‑examine this history from a fresh perspective. Although institutional attitudes in contemporary Wales have changed significantly since the Welsh Government published the Anti‑Racist Wales Action Plan in 2022, and despite the profound shifts in public discourse prompted by the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement since 2020, it remains evident that the narrative surrounding the ‘little Wales beyond the sea’ on the other side of the Atlantic is far from straightforward.

As part of the anti‑racist actions expected of public institutions, efforts have been made to increase genuine diversity by reflecting Wales’s varied population and seeking a range of expertise, experiences, and viewpoints. The Anti‑Racist Wales Action Plan (2024) prioritises key areas relating to Culture, Heritage, and Sport – namely, “celebrating diversity, the historical narrative, and learning about our cultural diversity” (p.31), alongside a “focus on decolonising museum collections” (p.31). Furthermore, it emphasises “ensuring that the study of Welsh history in all its diversity and complexity takes place” (p.19). The Curriculum for Wales similarly aims to provide a broad spectrum of perspectives in educational resources available to schools, with the goal of creating “ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world,” one of the curriculum’s core purposes.

Despite numerous changes in approaches to challenging aspects of Welsh history – such as Wales’s role within the British Empire or the legacies of slavery – the story of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia is still too often told in much the same way as when Saunders Lewis drew attention to it in his 1962 lecture Tynged yr Iaith, describing Michael D. Jones’s venture as a “heroic experiment in Welsh settlement in Patagonia”. The focus remains on the role of Welsh pioneers in preserving the language while cultivating the land and sowing the seeds of progress and civilisation, overlooking the experiences of the indigenous Tehuelche and Mapuche communities who inhabited these territories prior to the settlers’ arrival.

In addition to supporting the objectives set out in the National Library of Wales Strategic Plan 2025–30, this project seeks to contribute to the Welsh Government’s efforts to create an anti‑racist Wales and to align with the framework and vision of the new Curriculum by promoting a fairer and more inclusive approach to history. This will be achieved by exploring questions such as:

• In what ways can revisiting and reinterpreting historical collections relating to the Welsh settlement in Patagonia support the key areas prioritised in the Anti‑Racist Wales Action Plan (2024) concerning Culture, Heritage, and Sport?
• How can updating and adding a critical dimension to the traditional narrative of the settlement – presented in educational resources – and incorporating a broader range of experiences and perspectives help advance the framework and vision of the new Curriculum and current efforts to approach history in a fairer and more inclusive manner?
• How can engagement with the National Library’s significant collections on Patagonia contribute to the institution’s Strategic Objectives to “preserve and develop the nation’s memory” (Objective 1) and “connect communities,” while “prioritising voices and lived experiences that have been underrepresented in the Library’s collections and activities and committing to an anti‑racist Wales” (Objective 3) (National Library of Wales Strategy 2025–2030)?

The project will employ Critical Archival Studies methodologies to re‑examine the National Library’s materials from a contemporary viewpoint, considering approaches such as reflective close reading, ethical engagement, and interpreting instances of silence. (Given the nature of these collections, Spanish language skills would be desirable but are not essential for completing the work.) Critical Pedagogy and Design‑Based Research (DBR) will inform the pedagogical design aimed at improving relevant educational resources. By revisiting historical narratives and presenting a wider range of experiences and perspectives on one of the key milestones in Welsh history, the proposed project will also align with the principles and values of the Well‑being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This is considered particularly timely in light of the ongoing efforts of the Welsh Government and the National Library.

Please note that the ability to speak and write in Welsh is essential.

If English is not your first language you will need an acceptable pass in an approved English Language qualification to make sure you get the full benefit from studying at Swansea. We consider a wide range of qualifications, including the Swansea University English Test, the British Council IELTS test (with a score of at least 6.5 and 6.5 in each component). A full list of acceptable English Language tests can be found here.

Note for international and European applicants: details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.

Additional Information

This scholarship is funded jointly by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Swansea University's Postgraduate Research Office through its central equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) funding for three years and commences in September 2026.

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £19,237 for 2024/25).

Additional research expenses of up to £500 per year will also be available.

PhD - You should hold a minimum of an upper second‑class honours degree (2:1), or equivalent, and you should hold or expect to achieve a master's degree in a related subject.

Selection process

Please see our website for further information.