PhD Scholarship in the Centre for Citizenship and Globalization

PhD Scholarship in the Centre for Citizenship and Globalization
Deakin University (View all jobs from this organisation)

Deakin University, Centre for Citizenship and Globalization, is currently inviting outstanding candidates to apply for a PhD scholarship to be undertaken as part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) project.

Closing date for applications: 13 February 2012
Start date for project: 2 April, 2012

Title of the project

Measuring the Destruction of Heritage and Spikes of Violence in Iraq

Lead Investigators involved with the project and the School/Faculty/Centre offering the project.

Dr Benjamin Isakhan
Centre for Citizenship and Globalization

Dr Benjamin Isakhan is Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Research Fellow at the Centre for Citizenship and Globalization at Deakin University, Australia. Previously, Ben has been Research Fellow with the Centre for Dialogue at La Trobe University and Research Fellow for the Griffith Islamic Research Unit, part of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, Australia. Ben is an expert on Iraqi politics and is widely published on issues such as Democracy in Iraq, Orientalism and the media, the history of democracy and Middle Eastern politics and history. He has won various awards and grants and he is a member of a number of professional and academic associations. Ben has also written several opinion editorials and is regularly interviewed for radio and television including ABC News, SBS and Triple J. He is the author of Democracy in Iraq: History, Politics and Discourse (Ashgate, 2012) and the co-editor of The Secret History of Democracy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), The Arab Revolutions in Context: Socio-Political Implications for the Middle East and Beyond (Melbourne University Press, 2012) and The Edinburgh Companion to the History of Democracy (Edinburgh University Press, 2012).

Description of the area of research
Research topic

Since the invasion of 2003, Iraq has suffered an extraordinary era of both heritage destruction and devastating spikes in violence. The core aim of this project is to empirically test the assumption that a significant relationship exists between these two phenomena. To do this, the project will develop the world’s first database of heritage destruction in Iraq via interviews, archival research and fieldwork. This database will then be correlated with existing measures of violence in Iraq to determine the precise nature of their relationship. This will set the precedent for studies of both heritage and violence and enable policy formation towards the minimization of heritage destruction and spikes in violence during times of conflict.

Aim of the project

The project aims are:

Developing the world’s first database that documents, over a crucial almost nine-year period (2003-11), the destruction of heritage in Iraq.

Examining whether or not, and to what extent, a significant relationship exists between the heritage destruction documented in this database, and spikes of violence as documented in existing and reliable measures such as the Iraq Body Count database.

Setting a significant precedent in studies of both heritage and violence by providing innovative methods that can then be applied to other contexts (past, present or future) in which the destruction of cultural heritage and violence occur simultaneously - and to thereby enable policy formation that minimises (or prevents altogether) heritage destruction and spikes in violence during times of conflict.

Eligibility requirements

• Applicants must meet Deakin's PHD entry requirements and must hold a 1st class honours degree or equivalent.
• Australian/NZ citizens or permanent residents and international students may apply.

Specific eligibility retirements:

Essential:

• Honours, Maters or Equivalent in the Social Sciences, with priority given to those with an interest in / experience within the following fields: Middle East studies (Iraq in particular), Heritage studies, Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies and Political Violence.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills (English)

Desirable:

• Publication record in relevant fields (see above).
• Experience with database design software (Filemaker Pro)
• Experience with thematic analysis software (NVivo)
• Experience with quantitative statistics software (SPSS)
• Fluency in Arabic and/or Kurdish

Funding available

$23