PhD position on the project "Your place is the show” (1.0 FTE)

Fully funded PhD position in Media Studies at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen on the project “Your place is the show”: A multi-actor analysis of platformised reality TV-induced tourism in Asia.

This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work in an international environment and to acquire valuable research experience at a top-ranked European university. As a PhD student, you will develop your own research project in consultation with the associated supervisors. You will conduct independent and original academic research and report results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD dissertation. The PhD thesis has to be completed within four years. You will also have the opportunity to (further) develop your teaching skills.

You will work with the following supervisory team:

• Dr Deborah Castro (co-promoter)
• Dr Qian Huang (co-promoter)
• Prof. Marianne Franklin (promoter)

The PhD project

This PhD thesis project aims to explore screen tourism, understood as the phenomenon of people traveling to places associated with audiovisual productions. Up to now, most of the theoretical and empirical knowledge on this topic has derived from research conducted, first, on film and TV series and, second, on Western Europe and Anglo-American countries. This research project aims to contribute to the phenomenon of screen tourism focusing on reality TV, a genre traditionally committed to conserving and presenting a sense of authenticity and realness. It shifts the Anglo-American-European focus on reality TV and the tourism that accompanies these productions to shows that are being produced in Asia, and approaches them from a multi-actor perspective (i.e. creators, local institutional stakeholders, audiences).

The main proposed research questions driving this PhD project are: How do creators of platformised reality-TV deal with and contribute to notions of place in Asia? How do local institutional stakeholders (e.g. tourism operators, local heritage authorities) perceive, evaluate, contribute and manage reality-TV induced tourism? How do audiences engage in reality-TV induced tourism in both online and offline spaces? How can the different actors collaborate in a reality TV induced-tourism that is more sustainable, inclusive and respectful to the needs and aspirations of local communities that inhabit the place represented?

Methodologically, the investigation will take a mixed-method approach, combining forms of document analysis (e.g. of existing policies), textual analysis of audiovisual productions, interviews (e.g. with content creators), and (digital) ethnography. The research aims to broaden scholarship that falls under the rubric of platformised cultural production and critiques of western/Eurocentric scholarship from scholarship of de-westernizing media studies.

Note: The supervisory team is intentionally not specifying the geographical scope of this PhD project. This will be narrowed down based on the expertise and interest of the PhD candidate. Bear this in mind when preparing your research proposal (see section “Application”).

You will be asked to

• Develop your own research project in consultation with the associated supervisors.
• Conduct independent and original academic research.
• Report results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD dissertation.
• Complete the PhD within the allotted timeframe.
• Conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of your appointment.

Organisation

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5,000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

To be competitive for the position, prospective candidates must have:

• A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in media studies with high academic merit—an average grade of 8.0 or above on the Dutch scale (or international equivalent, with some flexibility possible).
• Excellent analytical skills and capacity to do innovative research.
• Clear and well-articulated motivation for pursuing PhD research.
• Excellent academic writing skills in English.
• Excellent spoken command of English.
• Excellent skills in the language of the Asian country of selected case studies and willingness to pursue further language and cultural training if needed.
• A clear research interest in the topic of the project (i.e. is intrinsically motivated). Having experience with and/or intimate knowledge in the project area being proposed (ideally at Masters level.) is an asset.
• Experience in using various methods of qualitative research, such as interviewing and digital ethnography.
• Willingness to develop the areas of expertise that the project requires, if not already present. This can relate to field specific theories, and to methodological skills.
• Great interpersonal skills.

Knowledge of Dutch is NOT required.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• A salary of € 2,770 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,539 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income.
• An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued. Candidate is expected to complete the PhD within the contracted time.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 fte teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• Willingness to move and reside in The Netherlands.

The appointment will commence in January/February 2025 with flexibility to account for the candidate's visa requirements. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.

Dr Deborah Castro, Assistant Professor Media Studies, (for information about the project),   [email protected]

Dr Qian Huang, Assistant Professor Media Studies (for information about the project),   [email protected]

Rachael Fletcher, GSH coordinator (for information on practical matters related to the application),   [email protected]