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This interdisciplinary PhD would be located between conceptual tensions of ‘policy’ ‘art’ and ‘play’ and would be supervised by members from Culture in Society Research Centre and Centre for Applied Social Sciences. It would use a creative practice methodology to explore how creative play - and the transgression it can engender - can be locally beneficial when positioned as a critical act in order to challenges top-down policies and the instrumentalization of participatory art. 

Participatory art has a history of utilising play as a means of resisting and critiquing social structures and combination of ‘art’ and ‘play’ is also very present in the rich play-therapy, community development and wellbeing literatures (i.e., Clark, 2019, Tonkin et al, 2019, Flemming et al 2019). The work has been applied variously to address issues such as community cohesion, wellbeing agendas, social inclusion, or to assist groups perceived as marginalised (Hope 2012, Schrag 2016, Belfiore 2020). However, both ‘play’ and ‘art’ can be transgressive activities, and Hyde (2012) recognises that both are embodied by the notion of the Trickster, and suggests the purpose of this work is not to *reinforce* power structures, but rather playfully challenge the smooth functioning of hegemonies by revealing and challenging infrastructures and politics. As such, art and play activities are increasingly becoming instrumentalised to fill up spaces where government support is lacking (Bishop, 2012, p283). From this, cultural organisations find themselves caught in paradox that aims support the free-form, open-ended and undefinable nature of ‘art’ and ‘play’, but within the rigid, outcome led focus of well-being policies and objectives).

 This PhD, therefore, will examine the tensions inherent within community-based contexts that employ play, and contribute to a rich strand of research related to participatory art, policy, and play. The study will develop understandings of both the role of socially engaged art, but also the (potential) role of play in acts of ‘community resistance’.  The PhD will result in insights useful to policy development, as well as add to ‘creative placemaking’ discourses. 

The successful PhD candidate must have experience of socially engaged art practice, but also a good understanding of policy remits. They should also have good experience in working within community contexts which experience policy-driven mechanisms. Ideally, they would also have experience in practice-based research.

Supervisory Team – Dr Anthony Schrag (ASchrag@qmu.ac.uk), Dr Taiwo Frances Gbadegesin (TGbadegesin@qmu.ac.uk)

In the 20th century, scholars (Adorno and  Horkheimer, 1944, Marcuse, 1965, McLuhan, 1964, Heidegger, 1969) recognised emerging media technologies such as television and radio as potential catalysts for cultural transformation. Today, the social sciences grapple with the complexities of the digital revolution, lacking a clear formula for societies confronting a rapidly evolving media landscape. Initially globalisation, and now digitalisation, are redefining cultural norms and challenging traditional practices, such as the use of language (Han, 2020).

 This doctoral project aims to investigate the escalating inequalities in societies of the Global South, primarily focusing on language barriers that stem from the cultural shifts of the digital era. These shifts paradoxically restrict the freedom of today’s individuals while promising greater liberty (Han, 2017). The study also examines the redefinition of territorial and temporal boundaries in both public and digital domains, the “space of appearance,” as highlighted by Arendt (1958, p.199). The project seeks to gather data that will encourage audiences to critically engage with their spatiotemporal experiences, highlighting the potential challenges posed by big tech companies that depend on constant engagement and consumerism. 

Its key questions include: How does digitalisation affect local languages? How can language be preserved despite “data colonialism” (Couldry and Mejias, 2019)? What is the impact of disappearing languages on identities and social structures? How does mediatisation create new spaces and redefine time?

By raising awareness of local language and culture in relation to media consumer identities, the project aims to contribute to the existing literature on socially constructed themes of past, present, and future, as well as to novel collective and cultural memories in mediated contexts.

The research will employ a mixed-methods approach. Methodologies may include ethnography, participant observation, interviews, surveys, critical content analysis of selected media outlets, and comparative analysis.

If you have any questions about this topic, please contact Dr Taner Dogan (TDogan@qmu.ac.uk) or Dr Arek Dakessian (ADakessian@qmu.ac.uk)