Archive Services, University of Dundee - Dundee Founders Project Phase Two

Apply for this SGSAH-funded internship with Archive Services, University of Dundee, up to 12 weeks FTE, between January & October 2025.

The project is titled Dundee Founders Project Phase Two and will involve working with the Univeristy of Dundee's team of inter-disciplinary collaborative researchers seeking to understand the University's connection to empire and the slave trade

Deadline for Applications is 15th November 2024.

Location

Flexible remote/in-person options available, although some to the Archive Services at the University of Dundee for research and to meet the Team will be required. This can be discussed with the candidate.

Project

The project is titled "Dundee Founders Project Phase Two". The successful candidate will work with our team of inter-disciplinary collaborative researchers seeking to understand the University's connection to empire and the slave trade. In 2022, an initial Founder’s Report was published which examined the wealth associated with slavery and empire which helped to found the University. In this ‘Phase 2’ of the project we hope to discover more about our founding through archival and historical research into the provenance of other bequests and donations as well as those to affiliate institutions which now make up the University, as well as provide research into the historical presence of students and staff of colour.

Outputs

1. To investigate the various important early benefactors to University College Dundee that the Founder's Report did not have time to cover (Harris, Peters, Cox, Martin White, etc).
2. To investigate the various important early benefactors of the various other institutions that have become part of the University (DJCAD, Conjoint Medical School, Dental Hospital & School, Dundee Training College, School of Economics, College of Nursing etc), all of which now constitute by far the greater part of the University.
3. To work with the Woven Together project to research early students (and potentially staff) of colour at the University and affiliated institutions https://woventogetherdundee.wixsite.com/woventogetherdundee.
4. To work with the project team to disseminate the research in an impactful and meaningful way.
5. To contribute to projects connecting the University to different communities in Dundee with an interest in this area.
6. To identify priorities for future research and activities

Timescale

Application Deadline: 15th November 2024

Start date (or must start by): Flexible

End date (or must end by): Flexible

Project can be worked full time, part time or flexibly in blocks

Benefits to the Researcher

The intern will benefit from working with a variety of interested parties - academics, archivists and heritage professionals, the University leadership, and local and community groups. They will gain skills in historical and archival research and an understanding of contemporary debates about colonial and post colonial history. They will need to be able to assimilate and make judgements about complex but potentially incomplete historical information and successfully collate and disseminate this to a variety of audiences.

Key Relationships

We anticipate that the researcher will work closely with the project team which consists of University EDI leads, the archivist and museum curator and academics from English / History and Geography. Part of the project will be building on the work of Woven Together, a community based research project, and working with their volunteers and community leaders. Audiences for the research outcomes will include the University but also external audiences, part of the project will consider how best to work with people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds who may currently be marginalised in Dundee.

Person Specification

Apply here

Return to the Internships & Artists Residencies 2025 page to see other internship opportunities.

First published: 4 October 2024