History: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Studentship in History with Museum Wales (RS949)

Funding Providers: Arts and Humanities Research Council 

Subject Area: History 

Project Start Dates: October 2026* 

* (Please see the note below regarding potential later start dates.) 

*In exceptional circumstances, and subject to the discretion of the University and/or the relevant funding body, a deferral of offer may be granted to the next available enrolment period. Such deferral will typically not exceed a duration of three calendar months from the originally stipulated commencement date. Please note that only one deferral may be considered, and any such deferral is not guaranteed. 

Supervisors: 

• Professor Martin Johnes, Swansea University 
• Dr Mari William, Bangor University 
• Nasir Adam, Amgueddfa Cymru 
• Robert Phillips, National Library of Wales 

Aligned programme of study: PhD in History 

Mode of study: Full time or Part time 

Place of study: Swansea University (Singleton Campus) 

Project description: 
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? 

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.

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. 

Details of how your qualification compares to the published academic entry requirements can be found on our Country Specific Entry Requirements page.  

If you have any questions regarding your academic or fee eligibility based on the above, please email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with the web-link to the scholarship(s) you are interested in. 

This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £21,805 for October 2026). 

This studentship also receives an enhanced stipend of £600 per annum.   

Additional research expenses of up to £750 per year will also be available. 

To apply, please complete the entire application form here: 

History PhD, Full Time, October 2026 

History PhD, Part Time, October 2026 

To be considered for this scholarship award the following steps are also required.  

1) In section ‘Programme Related Information’ please input the relevant RS Code for the scholarship award i.e. RS949  

2) In section ‘Research’ you will see ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’* (Mandatory)  

• In ‘Proposed project title/studentship title’ please input: 
  • the RS Code, RS949 
  • the scholarship title  
• Please leave Proposed Supervisor field blank  
• Please leave Research Project (if applicable) blank  
• In ‘Do you have a proposal to upload? *’(Mandatory) Please select Yes  
• Then upload copy of advert (you can save the advert by clicking print, and then print to pdf)

3) In section ‘Funding information’ please choose the option ‘Scholarship Funding’ only. Please ensure no other options are selected.  

*It is the responsibility of the applicant to list the above information accurately when applying, please note that applications received without the above information listed will not be considered for the scholarship award.  

If you’ve previously applied for this programme, the system will display an “Application Submitted” warning and block a new submission. In this case:  

1. Apply for the same course with the next available start date (e.g., select January if October is unavailable). 
2. Email pgrscholarships@swansea.ac.uk with your student number and the relevant scholarship RS code, requesting the start date be amended to match the advert. 
3. Admissions staff will then update your application accordingly.

Important: If you have previously applied for the same programme & intake, do not re‑apply using a different email address. Applications submitted with an email address that differs from the one used in your original application will not be accepted or considered. 

One application is required per individual Swansea University led research scholarship award; applications cannot be considered listing multiple Swansea University led research scholarship awards.  

NOTE: Applicants for PhD/EngD/ProfD/EdD - to support our commitment to providing an environment free of discrimination and celebrating diversity at Swansea University you are required to complete an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Monitoring Form in addition to your programme application form.    

Please note that completion of the EDI Monitoring Form is mandatory; your application may not progress if this information is not submitted. 

As part of your online application, you MUST upload the following documents (please do not send these via email):  

• CV 
• Degree certificates and transcripts (if you are currently studying for a degree, screenshots of your grades to date are sufficient)  
• A cover letter including a ‘Supplementary Personal Statement’ to explain why the position particularly matches your skills and experience and how you choose to develop the project.  
• One reference (academic or previous employer) on headed paper or using the Swansea University reference form. Please note that we are not able to accept references received citing private email accounts, e.g. Hotmail. Referees should cite their employment email address for verification of reference.  
• Evidence of meeting English Language requirement (if applicable).  
• Copy of UK resident visa (if applicable)  
• Confirmation of EDI form submission 

Informal enquiries are welcome; please contact:  

NAME:  Martin Johnes 

EMAIL:  M.Johnes@Swansea.ac.uk  

*External Partner Application Data Sharing – Please note that as part of the scholarship application selection process, application data sharing may occur with external partners outside of the University, when joint/co- funding of a scholarship project is applicable.