Medical Humanities International PhD School | Durham University | 24–26 March 2025
The Medical Humanities International PhD School invites applications from students in medical humanities, social sciences and medicine with an interest in interdisciplinary research. Queer methodologies allow us to reflect critically on the conceptual categories that we use to understand the body, sex, gender and sexuality. Work in queer, trans and gender studies challenges the structures through which certain groups are marginalised within institutional medical and healthcare settings. At the same time, it provides tools to explore alternative spaces and structures for queer and marginalised groups’ care and flourishing. The school will introduce researchers to conceptual and theoretical frameworks in queer, trans and feminist theory, offering new ways of thinking about health, illness and wellbeing. Activities will address topics such as:
- Activism as research practice
- Arts-based methodologies
- Moving image, health and illness
- Working with sensitive historical archives
- The ethics of working with marginalised communities
- Qualitative critical phenomenology
We encourage applications from researchers whose work engages with health-related topics from a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, including (but not limited to) cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, history, health sciences, public health, visual arts, literary studies, music, architecture, gender and sexuality studies, and philosophy.
The PhD School will be held between 24–26 March 2025 at Durham University, UK. It is hosted by the Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University, in collaboration with the Centre for Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Linköping University, Sweden (CMHB).
Seminars and activities during the PhD School will be delivered by a range of researchers from Durham University, Linköping University and other partner institutions.
Practical details
The PhD School is free of charge for all participants, including accommodation in Durham on 24 and 25 March and all meals (from lunch on 24 March to lunch on 26 March). Teaching will be in English.
Twenty places in total are available for the PhD School:
- five bursary places for PhD students from UK universities;
- five bursary places for PhD students from universities in lower- and-middle-income countries;
- three bursary places for PhD students based at the Centre for Medical Humanities and Bioethics in Linköping; and
- seven open places for PhD students from any country.
The PhD School is open to all researchers who have not been awarded a PhD before the application deadline of 22 November 2024. Researchers who will have submitted their PhD thesis by 22 November 2024, but who have not yet had their examination (or otherwise had confirmation of their award) are eligible to apply.
Financial support for PhD students from universities in lower- and middle-income countries and the UK
Through the Wellcome-funded Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities (DRP-MH) at Durham University, the Institute for Medical Humanities is able to offer the following bursaries to support attendance at the PhD School:
For PhD students from universities in lower- and middle-income countries
Five bursaries of up to £2,000 in total are available to support air travel to Durham, internal travel within the United Kingdom, accommodation, subsistence (receipted to a maximum for £40 per day), and, where necessary, up to £80 in visa costs. Bursaries will cover:
- international travel and accommodation costs (booked via the DRP-MH at Durham University).
- internal travel and subsistence costs of up to £200 in total and with receipts (to be reclaimed from the DRP-MH at Durham University after the workshop).
A full list of lower- and middle-income countries is available here. Please note, you must be both ordinarily resident in, and studying in, a lower- or middle-income country to be eligible for this bursary. Students ordinarily resident in a lower- or middle-income country but currently undertaking their PhD in a higher income country are not eligible for this award.
For UK-based PhD students
Five bursaries of up to £700 in total are available to support travel to Durham, accommodation, and subsistence (receipted to a maximum of £40 per day).
Bursaries will cover:
- Train travel to Durham and accommodation costs (booked via the DRP-MH) at Durham University).
- Subsistence costs of up to £40 per day, with receipts (to be reclaimed from the DRP-MH at Durham University after the workshop).
Financial support for Linköping-based PhD students
Three bursaries of up to £700 in total are available to support travel to Durham, airport transfers, accommodation and subsistence (receipted to a maximum for £40 per day).
The £700 bursary will cover:
- international travel and accommodation costs (booked via the CMHB at Linköping University).
- internal travel and subsistence costs of up to £200 in total and with receipts (to be reclaimed from the CMHB at Linköping University after the workshop).
For PhD students applying for the open places
As stated above, the PhD school itself is free of charge. However, students applying for the open places will need to cover their own travel costs to and from Durham.
How to apply:
Please email a letter of support from your PhD supervisor (approximately 300-500 words) to imh.mail@durham.ac.uk and submit the following information via this online form by 22 November 2024 at 17:00 GMT:
- Your name
- Your contact email address and telephone number
- Your department, institution, and country
- A description of your PhD project (up to 300 words)
- A statement relating your research interests to the themes of the PhD School (up to 200 words)
- A description of your principal career achievements to date (up to 300 words)
- Whether you are applying for a bursary, and if so, which one. (Please check eligibility requirements carefully. If you are not eligible for a bursary, please confirm that you will be able to cover your own travel costs to and from Durham)
- Confirmation that, if accepted for the PhD School, you will undertake the required preparatory work (equal to approximately 3 days full-time work)
Applications will be assessed by a selection committee of academics from Durham University and Linköping University. All candidates will be notified of the outcome in early December 2024.
The Medical Humanities International PhD School ‘Queer Methodologies’ is funded by:
- Wellcome Trust, as part of the Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities at Durham University;
- The Centre for Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Linköping University.
If you have any questions about the course, the application process or your eligibility for bursaries, please contact Dr Fiona Johnstone or Dr Fraser Riddell.
