4 AHRC-funded Collaborative PhD Studentships at the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum
Porthcurno Telegraph Museum has won 4 prestigious research grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to study Britain's leading role in the history of mass communications.
Three PhD projects have been identified with the University of Exeter under a broad area "Themes in the Historical Geography of Communication: the Eastern Telegraph Company to Cable and Wireless, 1869-1945" one of which will commence in October 2008, then 2009 & 2010. The final PhD at the University of Leeds will be under the theme "The Telegraphic Life: Recovering the work of submarine cable technicians 1850-1914" to begin in October 2008.
Between 1869 and 1945, Britain led the way in developing new communications technologies to support its global influence. Cornwall was central to this success: many of the cables that linked Britain to the rest of the world came ashore at Porthcurno and the area was the hub of international cable communications from 1870 to 1970 as well as hosting a communications training college until 1993.
Originally called the Eastern Telegraph Company, Cable and Wireless was at the heart of Britain's developments in mass communications. The researchers will explore the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum's Cable and Wireless archive of company records, maps, photographs, advertisements, diaries letters and magazines, to document its history. The research will focus on the company's use of visual culture, such as advertising and photography, its activities in China and Hong Kong and its operations to support the World War Two war effort. The team hopes its findings will shed light on the ways in which these developments in communications helped place Britain in a prominent global position.
This £150,000 five-year research project will start in October 2008.
For more details please see PDF files:
- AHRC-funded Collaborative PhD Studentship, University of Exeter (PDF, 36KB)
- AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award Scheme, University of Exeter (PDF, 54KB)
- Further details for applicants: PhD PROJECT: 'The Telegraphic Life: Recovering the Work of Submarine Cable Technicians, 1850-1914', University of Leeds (PDF, 61KB)
- AHRC PhD Studentship: 'The Telegraphic Life: Recovering the Work of Submarine Cable Technicians, 1850-1914', University of Leeds (PDF, 25KB)
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