ARTS OF AFRICA AND GLOBAL SOUTHS comprises the SARChI research programme (Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa) supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa, and the Publishing and Research of the South: Positioning Africa (PROSPA) research programme funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Professor Ruth Simbao, the NRF Research Chair in Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa invites suitable candidates to apply for postgraduate bursaries for PhD, MA and Honours studies in Art History/Art History and Visual Culture/Visual Studies.

Successful applicants will be active participants in a supportive research group environment at Rhodes University and will work on topics that resonate with the core research of the Chair. Please see www.ru.ac.za/artsofafrica for more information on the research team and research areas.

Bursaries are only available for students who are registered at Rhodes University full time and are based in Grahamstown (Makhanda) for the full duration of their studies.

Please note that all applicants need to meet the requirements of the Fine Art Department and Rhodes University. Positions in the research team are competitive and limited, and are dependent on the relevance of the proposed research topic to the programme as well as the availability of suitable supervision capacity.

Bursaries may be awarded for the following degrees in 2019:

PhD in Art History (thesis only, 3 years)

MA in Art History (thesis only, 2 years)

Honours in Art History/4th year BFA (1 year)

Application process:

Please email the following information to Charmaine Mostert (c.mostert@ru.ac.za) by the 10th of October 2018, and label your email “2019 Postgraduate Application”:

1. A clear indication of which degree you would like to apply for and the relevant qualifications you have already completed
2. Recent academic transcripts (shortlisted applicants will be requested to update these at the end of the academic year)
3. A comprehensive CV
4. A written statement that outlines your proposed research project, including: Context of Research, Goals of Research, Methodology and Bibliography (2 pages for Honours, 4 pages for Masters, 6-8 pages for PhD)
5. A statement that clearly outlines how your proposed research intersects with the research of the Arts of Africa and Global Souths research team
6. A motivation that responds to the following questions: a) Why do you wish to pursue postgraduate studies? b) What do you perceive as the benefits of working in a research team that emphasizes a supportive and collaborative approach? c) What would you be able to offer to this type of research environment? Please be as specific as possible.
7. A sample of your writing (an article, book chapter, thesis or essay)

www.ru.ac.za/artsofafrica/latestnews/postgraduatebursariesavailablefor2019.html