PhD Studentship - Narratives of Enslavement and their Legacies in London

Start date: February 2027. King’s College London’s Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War is pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded AHRC doctoral studentship from October 2026, to be jointly supervised across the English and War Studies departments by Dr. Michael Collins (English) and Dr. Maeve Ryan (War Studies). We invite proposals under the theme of: “Narratives of Enslavement and their Legacies.”

Project scope and research questions:

• Applicants are invited to propose innovative research exploring any element of the relationship between narratives of slavery broadly defined (including post-enslavement life-writing and the “slave narrative” genre; the legacies of enslavement in fiction and the transatlantic literary traditions; and critical theories of race and racialisation emerging from histories of enslavement and indenture) written in English between the period of 1776 and the mid twentieth century.
• Due to the specialisms of the proposed supervisors, focus on the British Empire and the U.S. is preferred, but modes of transnational engagement and comparativist readings across national and linguistic traditions are highly encouraged.
• Since the candidate will be situated across two faculties, The Department of English and the Department of War Studies, an interest in questions of how geopolitical conflict, conflict-based diasporic movement, and the conditions of war have affected and shaped narrative traditions would be an advantage.

The LCRSW is driven by a singular, transformative vision: to learn from the past in order fundamentally to change how the world understands, forecasts, and tackles the enduring problem of slavery in war. How, where and why has slavery in war emerged over time? How has slavery influenced the course, conduct, and consequences of war? How have slavery and war shaped the evolution of legal and normative frameworks throughout history? What are the needs of survivors of slavery in conflict?

Consequently, potential methodological and conceptual areas of interest for proposals may include (but are not limited to) readings of narratives of enslavement through theories of:

• Racial Capitalism (Robinson)
• Narratology
• Environmental Humanities/ The Plantationcene (McKittrick)
• Ontologies and “Genres” of the Human (Wynter)
• Transnationalism
• Human Rights and Legal Frameworks
• British Studies, American Studies, Settler Colonial Studies, Multicultural Studies

It is expected that the candidate will have strong skills in use of archives (identifying and defining their archival focus will be a major element of the first year of the doctorate) and a willingness to engage in forms of public outreach work appropriate to their research, in conjunction with the ‘Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War' and The Department of English. The studentship can be taken up either full or part-time. Students should have an excellent academic record. A master’s degree in a relevant subject (such as Literature, History, American Studies, War Studies, Development Studies, Anthropology, Cultural Studies) is a requirement. If you are unsure about the appropriateness of your disciplinary training, please reach out to either potential supervisor to discuss the proposal in advance.

Details of award:

• The award pays UKRI Home Tuition Fees (£5,238 for 2026/27) for PhD students.
• The award pays full maintenance for all students both home and international. The UKRI Doctoral Stipend for 2026/2027 is £21,805, plus a London Weighting of £2,000/year, plus Collaborative Activity funding at a rate of £600/year.
• The student is eligible to receive an additional Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) during the course of the project.
• The project can be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis.

Eligibility:

This studentship is open to both Home and International applicants. However, the CRSW is limited to one Overseas studentship across the opportunities currently advertised. To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

We are committed to welcoming applications from students from all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as they are currently underrepresented at this level in this discipline. We require an upper-second class (2:1) honours degree and a Master’s degree at high merit or above in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD (or international equivalent).

Assessment of applicants:

Applicants will be assessed by how well they meet the person specification for this position. This may include:

• An educational and research background that matches this research project.
• The potential to work effectively and inclusively with a diverse team of people.
• The potential to take initiative and manage a dynamic and complex workload.
• The potential to develop expertise in new areas related to this subject.
• A demonstrated interest in and understanding of the proposed area of research, including knowledge of current challenges and opportunities.
• The potential to undertake continuous personal and professional development.
• The potential to communicate ideas and findings, verbally and in writing, clearly and effectively.
• An understanding of relevant research methods.