Call for applications: PhD Scholarships on Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa

The Danish-East African research project, “People Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa (MEDIeA)”, funded by the Danish Development Agency (Danida), offers two full-time PhD scholarships (36 months) starting on January 1st 2010, using ethnographic perspectives. One will be registered as a PhD student at University of Nairobi, the other at University of Dar es Salaam. Funding follow provisions of Kenya and Tanzania universities.

About MEDIeA
The overall objective of MEDIeA is to explore the role civil society driven media and communication technologies potentially can have in enhancing participatory governance processes in East Africa, more specifically in Kenya and Tanzania. The core inquiry of MEDIeA grows from a concern about how young people are secured a role in both the local, national and regional development processes. The research project’s analytical challenge is to understand the ways and means in which youth as ordinary citizens engage with such civil society driven media and communication platforms and what socio-cultural and policy related outcomes this may have.

MEDIeA comprises of a team of 4 researchers in addition to the two PhD students that are about to be contracted. In Kenya, the team consists of Associate Professor Norbert Wildermuth from University of Southern Denmark and Associate Research Professor Winnie Mitullah from University of Nairobi. In Tanzania, the team consists of Professor and Principal Investigator of MEDIeA, Thomas Tufte and Assistant Professor Datius Rweyemanu.

In addition to empirical research, the MEDIeA project comprises of components of dissemination, capacity building and policy dialogue. The research program is hosted by ØRECOMM – Consortium for Communication and Glocal Change at Department of Communication, Business and Information Technologies, Roskilde University, Denmark: orecomm.net.

Objectives of the PhD
It is the general objective of the announced PhD scholarships to strengthen the overall research efforts of MEDIeA in Kenya and Tanzania. The PhD students are expected to provide community based research which uncovers the synergies and communication relations between everyday life, media use, citizen engagement in social and political processes. The announced PhD projects can be specified as follows:

Kenya: Communication, e-participation and digital inclusion: a media ethnographic study.

Tanzania: Media use, citizenship and participatory governance: a media ethnographic study in Tanzania.

See detailed project descriptions here (pdf).

Who can apply?
We invite applications from students with an MA in social sciences or humanities and with experience in qualitative empirical research, preferably in the field of qualitative reception studies, media ethnography and/or participatory communication studies. Applicants should be prepared to work extended periods in the ‘field’, in close and prolonged cooperation with the non-governmental and community-based organisations selected as case studies by the MEDIeA team of senior researchers. Applicants must be able to communicate in the relevant vernacular language, besides English, as well as demonstrate the necessary ‘social’ abilities to do research based on a participant observation approach. Finally, it would be beneficial if applicants also have experience with survey-based, quantitative research designs or equivalent qualifications.

Application procedure
Deadline: 10 August 2009.

Please submit:

1. A research proposal of up to five pages
2. A curriculum vitae including list of publications
3. A writing sample/publication of 5-10.000 words
4. Official transcripts of undergraduate degree and Master’s degree
5. Reference letters (optional)

Applications have to be based on the full advertisement of the specific PhD scholarship you are applying. As the descriptions both for the Kenya and Tanzania scholarship are already quite elaborate, the applicants are expected to provide their own theoretical-methodological reflection based on the initial outline as well as suggesting and justifying a research design for the actual study.

The selection will be based on both the relevant experience of the applicant and quality of research proposal.

Successful candidates selected for interview will be announced on 20 August 2009. Interviews will be conducted on 24 and 25 August at the University of Nairobi and on 1 and 2 September at University of Dar-es-Salaam. Final selection will be announced by 10 September.

Please send your application including appendices in one single pdf file to Kirsten Høffding (hoffding@ruc.dk) at Roskilde University. Should you have questions regarding the content of the proposal, please contact the following:

For the Kenya scholarship: Norbert Wildermuth (wildermuth@litcul.sdu.dk) and Winnie Mitullah (wvmitullah@swiftkenya.com)

For the Tanzania scholarship: Thomas Tufte (ttufte@ruc.dk, offline 3-26 July) and Datius Rweyemanu (mdatiusr@yahoo.com).