Community Champions: Health, Community and Access to Literature

Project advert

Recent national, regional and UKRI policy documents associate culture, creativity, and impactful Arts and Humanities research with health, wellbeing and what the 2023 ‘Creative Industries Sector Vision’ (DCMS and the Creative Industries Council) designates ‘Pride in Place’. Yet as the AHRC’s ‘Developing a People-Centred, Place-Led Approach’ and the ‘Greater Manchester Cultural Strategy’ insist, this benefit can only be realised by an approach which also delivers tolerance and community cohesion, where individual communities recognise that their experiences and voices have been heard, valued and considered. 

This collaborative doctoral project, in partnership with the Manchester City of Literature and diverse local communities within Greater Manchester, will make a practical case for the contribution literature and creative writing can make not only to the future direction of civic arts policy but also to the lived experiences of diverse individuals, communities, and stakeholder groups. It will do this by foregrounding – through co-creation and working in partnership – how the fluid, plural, and marginalised dimensions of place can deliver these kinds of benefits for tolerance, cohesion, pride and wellbeing. 

The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr Nikolai Duffy and Ivan Wadeson, and the project will provide the successful candidate with numerous opportunities to work alongside Manchester Met’s Poetry Research Group and the Manchester City of Literature network.

Project aims and objectives

The primary objective is to analyse the effectiveness of the ‘Community Champion’ model employed by the Manchester City of Literature 2020-2023. Specifically, the project will: 

1. explore the foundational principles of the model, establishing its merits and limitations;
2. establish the use of creative writing as a creative research methodology through which to investigate the social and community contribution of literary activity to notions of people, place, health, and inclusivity;
3. evidence a series of recommendations for the future development of the Community Champion model so that it can more successfully deliver its remit to encourage reading, boost literacy, widen access to literary activity, enhance educational and career opportunities for communities living with deprivation, and authenticate Manchester as a city where co-created literary activity changes lives.

Entry requirements

This Collaborative Doctoral Award is aimed at exceptional doctoral applicants who combine a strong academic and creative writing profile with a commitment to pursuing innovative and impactful research that will help build our understanding of the social benefits of creative writing and literature.

You will hold a Masters Degree in an appropriate discipline with a Distinction or High Merit. You should also hold a First or Upper-Second-Class Honours degree (or an equivalent qualification from an overseas institution). Professional experience will also be taken into consideration.

Funding

The studentship is fully funded by the NWCDTP, with fees paid plus an annual stipend at the UKRI standard rate (£19,237 per year for 2024-2025). Successful applicants will start in October 2025.

This project is open to both Home and International students.

How to apply

Interested applicants should contact Dr Nikolai Duffy by emailing n.duffy@mmu.ac.uk for an informal discussion. 

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in English or download the PGR application form.

You should also complete the narrative CV form addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have maps to the area of research and why you see this area as being of importance and interest. 

If applying online, you will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section, or email the application form and statement to pgradmissions@mmu.ac.uk. 

Closing date: 28 February 2025 

Expected start date: October 2025

Please quote the reference: AH-ND-English-NWCDTP CDA 2025