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Call for Applications: PEER Network UK Doctoral Workshop on Education, Conflict and Crisis 20-21 June 2023

Feb 3, 2023 | Opportunities

The University of Sussex hub, of the Political Economy of Education Research Network (PEER), based at the Centre for International Education, is inviting UK based doctoral candidates working on issues of education, conflict and crisis to join a workshop where they can discuss their research alongside peers and scholars working in the field of education, conflict and peace. This is an opportunity to be part of a growing international network of researchers who are working in this field and to contribute to cutting edge debates around the challenges, critiques and future directions of education and conflict research.

The PEER Network is a 3-year international research partnership involving the Universities of Cape Town, Nazarbayev, Sussex and Ulster, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) that began in 2021. The PEER Network aims to strengthen political economy analysis of education systems in societies affected by conflict and crisis through supporting the development of early career researchers in the field. Doctoral researcher workshops are being held by each of the university partners in the network, in addition to funding the research projects of early career researchers across Africa and Central Asia. The UK ‘Doctoral Workshop on Education, Conflict and Crisis’ is hosted by the PEER Network hub at the University of Sussex.

The workshop is open to doctoral students located in the UK who are at any stage of their PhD. Students may be based in any discipline or faculty, but their research must be focused on questions relating to the relationship between education and conflict, particularly in contexts of protracted conflict. In order to make the workshop as interactive as possible, with enough time for collaborative discussion of individual presentations/feedback, the numbers will be limited to 15 doctoral students from universities all over the UK.  Selected participants will have their travel expenses and accommodation costs covered by the PEER Network (see application details below). 

Format of the workshop

The workshop will be led by Professor Mario Novelli, University of Sussex, and take the format of a series of panel discussions and presentations. It will begin with opening remarks from leading scholars working in the field of education and conflict based in the UK, including Professor Tejendra Pherali, UCL; Professor Kelsey Shanks, Ulster University; Professor Maha Shuayb, University of Cambridge & Centre for Lebanese Studies, Beirut; & Dr Sean Higgins, University of Sussex. These remarks are intended to ignite wider collective discussions with all participants around key questions that we will return to throughout the workshop including:

  • What are the key challenges and future directions of the field of education and conflict?
  • How can critical scholars move beyond critique to transforming the field and its wider impacts on education systems in societies affected by conflict and crisis?
  • Who are our funders, collaborators and partners, and what are the implications of these relationships for research and practice?
  • What theoretical frameworks and methodologies can help to challenge existing orthodoxies and facilitate new directions in the field?

Following the opening remarks and discussion, the workshop will then focus on the individual contributions of doctoral research participants. Organised in groups of three, with a dedicated chair, each participant will have 15 minutes to present their work and a ‘burning question’ that they are currently grappling with in planning, carrying out or communicating their research, depending on the stage that they are at in their PhD journey. This ‘burning question’ can be about any aspect of the research process and is intended to help tailor the feedback and discussion towards what the participants themselves would most like to get out of the workshop.

The workshop will provide a supportive, collegial space to share ideas, open up questions, and seek support and feedback.  As well as focusing on the content of ideas, we very much hope that through the course of our discussions we will build new connections and friendships that will contribute to strengthening the growing network of researchers in the field of education, conflict and crisis. 

Call for Applications

As numbers of participants are limited, we kindly request that you submit a short application to join the workshop. This should be no more than one side of A4 including a brief outline of your research including the context, research question and methodology, together with a short bio about yourself. Please also include your institution and contact details.

We welcome applications from doctoral students at any stage of the PhD. Criteria for selection will include ensuring that the workshop covers a range of geographic regions, issues and perspectives in the field and also candidates coming from different institutions. For those that apply but are not selected we would like to emphasise that this does not reflect a judgement on the quality of your research and we very much encourage you to keep in touch for future events and communications.

The workshop will be held at the University of Sussex, Falmer Campus, Brighton between 20-21st June, 2023.  It will begin at 2pm on 20th June (to allow participants to travel to Falmer) and finish at 6pm on June 21st.  Your participation will include travel expenses, all meals and one night’s accommodation in Brighton.

Please email your application to b.kutan@sussex.ac.uk , by 4pm on March 10th, 2023.  

Applicants will receive notification of their participation by early April, 2023.

Download PDF file: PEER Susex doctoral workshop