UCL and EFDSS announce partnership offering a fully-funded PhD studentship

We're pleased to announce that University College London (UCL) will be offering a fully-funded PhD studentship (with stipend), in partnership with the English Folk Dance and Song Society. This opportunity, to be undertaken in the Department of Information Studies, is open to both UK and international students and is made possible thanks to funding from the London Arts & Humanities Partnership (LAHP, AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Award scheme.

Project Title: Classification, representation and marginalisation in “English” folk music and dance

Project Description:
Folk music and dance collections can be both marginalised when compared to other performing arts and social practices, and also act as the marginalising force in their treatment of generally underrepresented groups. So, this study questions who is missing and hidden in English folk music/dance documentation, then asks how archival representation and knowledge organisation can be used/reimagined both to understand these marginalisation(s) and as part of a reparatory framework which attempts to resolve them. The first part examines how folk music/dance fit within existing classifications of music and dance, and the marginalisation of folk music/dance within these. The second part focuses on marginalised groups from Gypsy and Traveller, and immigrant communities. English folk music/dance collections relating to these groups will be mapped. Then, a case study of Gypsy and Traveller documents at the English Folk Dance and Song Society will be carried out, which seeks to understand how these works are indexed and classified, and then provide transformative classifications to enhance access to these documents. Finally, the gaps and silences of immigrant groups within English folk music/dance collections will be considered through the lens of archival representation and knowledge organisation. This study works across archival studies, knowledge organisation and the folk music and dance domains to understand this important area and, ultimately, to transform library and archival practices.

The term “Gypsy and Traveller” is used here to echo the terminology used by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, our project partner in this research, who use this terminology following careful consultation with relevant communities and academics. However, it is acknowledged that these terms are not necessarily how all community members would describe themselves.

CDA Project Team:
This project is a collaboration between the English Folk Dance and Song Society and the Department of Information Studies (DIS) at UCL.

• Primary academic supervisor: Dr Anna Sexton, Lecturer in Archives, Records Management and Information Governance ([email protected]) 
• Second academic supervisor: Dr Deborah Lee, Lecturer in Library and Information Studies ([email protected])
• Collaborative partner supervisor: The English Folk Dance and Song Society supervisor is Tiffany Hore, Library and Archives Director, The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library ([email protected])

Specific requirements that the candidate should fulfil:
We are looking for applicants with an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject and a Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience. We welcome candidates with an interest in music and dance who have some experience, qualification or understanding of libraries and archives, demonstrated by, for example, use of libraries or archives in their previous research, a post-graduate qualification in library and information studies or archives and records management or relevant work experience in a library or archive. A particular enthusiasm for folk music and dance would be highly desirable. We particularly welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, or those who could bring a community perspective to the research.

Details on eligibility and how to apply: https://www.lahp.ac.uk/prospective-students/collaborative-doctoral-awards-projects-available/