Doctoral Studentship: Africa-China Relations
Deadline for receipt of applications: 21 June 2016.
This full-time, fixed-term position is available for 4 years, from September 2016 to August 2019.
The scholarship is attached to the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant entitled African Governance and Space: Transport Corridors, Border Towns and Port Cities in Transition (AFRIGOS) that runs for 5 years between 2016 and 2020. AFRIGOS is led by Professor Paul Nugent and investigates the process of 'respacing' Africa, a political drive towards regional and continental integration, on the one hand, and the re-casting of Africa's engagement with the global economy, on the other. This is reflected in unprecedented levels of investment in physical and communications infrastructure, and the outsourcing of key functions of Customs, Immigration and security agencies. The principal research questions are approached through a comparative study of port cities, border towns and other strategic nodes situated along the busiest transport corridors in East, West-Central, West and Southern Africa.
We are looking for someone to work specifically on Chinese infrastructural investment and trade along transport corridors, and more broadly on China-Africa and China-EU relations in the context of regional integration initiatives in Africa. The successful applicant will be expected to develop an independent research project that will connect to the larger agenda of AFRIGOS. This may involve empirical case-studies from one or more regions of Africa. Because the student will carry out much of the research in China, or with Chinese respondents in Africa, we would intend to appoint someone with a good knowledge of Mandarin. It is anticipated that the successful applicant will hold a Masters degree from a relevant Social Science or Humanities discipline.
The supervision will be provided by core members of the project team, and in particular Professor Nugent, Dr. Wolfgang Zeller and Dr. José-Maria Muñoz or by other staff within the School of Social and Political Science.
