This has caught me by surprise, but I’ve just learned that my institution Birkbeck is offering a Stuart Hall PhD Scholarship for 2017-18, in partnership with the Stuart Hall Foundation. Some great news, making me proud to work at the institution (as, by the way, did the College’s recently-announced Bridges to Study programme for asylum seekers in London). I’ve pasted the Scholarship description below, but do visit the relevant award page for the full details.

On the subject of Stuart Hall, I also happened to notice that he is the focus of a special issue of Critical Studies in Media Communication titled ‘Stuart Hall Lives: Cultural Studies in an age of Digital Media‘. Amongst many interesting pieces, there is one by Ken Thompson reflecting on Hall’s less-frequently-discussed time at The Open University, my own (short-lived) home before coming to Birkbeck.

Professor Stuart Hall had a major influence on many scholars at Birkbeck. He was an outstanding academic who throughout his life developed new areas of scholarship and research, established new organisations and entities and was a catalyst for a number of significant initiatives: journals like New Left Review and Soundings, the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies and the visual arts organisations Autograph ABP and Iniva (the Institute of International Visual Arts), and the award-winning arts building Rivington Place in east London.

The Stuart Hall PhD Scholarship will be awarded to one student in the School of Arts or the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy at Birkbeck beginning her/his studies in 2017, and will cover fees and a stipend either full time for three years or part time for five. The scholarship can be held in any of the Departments in these two Schools. It is expected that the award-winner will be working in an interdisciplinary area of study focused on one of Stuart Hall’s many areas of interest: cultural studies, psychosocial studies, ‘race’ and ethnicity studies, visual arts, politics and sociology.

Potential applicants should first apply to the Department of their choice for a PhD place, stating that they wish to be considered for the scholarship. Please see below for further details on the application process.