Uncharted Voices: Subaltern Cultures and Identities in Global Seafaring, 1880–1950’ with National Maritime Museum and University of Portsmouth

Applications are invited for a fully-funded four-year PhD to commence on 1st October 2026.

The National Maritime Museum (‘NMM’), part of the REACH CDP Consortium, and the University of Portsmouth are pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded Collaborative doctoral studentship from October 2026 under the AHRC’s  Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) scheme.

This project will be jointly supervised by Lucy Dale and Dr Hannah Stockton from the NMM and Professor Brad Beaven and Dr Karl Bell from the University of Portsmouth. The student will be expected to spend time at both the University of Portsmouth and the NMM as well as becoming part of the wider cohort of CDP funded students across the UK.

This PhD proposes a critical investigation of the Campbell McMurray Collection (CMC), a remarkable but unexplored oral history collection housed at RMG. Comprising around 500 digitised tapes, the collection captures personal narratives of (primarily British) merchant seamen from the 1890s to the 1950s. Through a thematic analysis of these testimonies, this research will recover hidden maritime voices and explore the complex ways in which seafarers navigated their identities, family relations, cultural interactions, occupational knowledge, and working-class affiliations across maritime and urban domains.

As transient workers, seafarers embodied the migration of people, objects, and ideas, between distant ports while navigating their own marginalised positions within imperial and postcolonial worlds. By foregrounding voices from the CMC, some of which belong to  migrant, and working-class men, this research addresses the theme of diverse and hidden histories. Integrating analysis of family relations further uncovers emotional and domestic dimensions of global labour histories.

Through collaboration with NMM’s public history initiatives, the project will also contribute to interpreting this archive for broader audiences, enhancing heritage narratives and public engagement. The CMC represents a rich but under-researched source of information about maritime intangible heritage, especially regarding mariners’ cultural practices at sea.

Research questions:

The successful student will be expected to develop their own lines of enquiry and research approach to the project, but initial research questions might include:

• In what ways did merchant seafarers articulate their sense of identity across maritime and urban domains?
• How did seafarers manage family relationships while navigating between maritime and urban lives
• What sort of traditions and cultural practices at sea did seafarers engage in?
• To what extent were seafarers integrated into or excluded from working-class communities ashore?

How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Professor Brad Beaven to discuss your interest before you apply. We are committed to supporting candidates through the application and interview process. Applicants with access needs can request reasonable adjustments throughout the process. You can contact Brad Beaven, quoting the project code, on the following email brad.beaven@port.ac.uk.

You are required to include a 1,000-word proposal. For more information on how to structure your proposal click here.

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV.  Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process.
We ask all applicants to complete a voluntary EDI monitoring form here. All responses are anonymous

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code ASH10030526 when applying. Please note that email applications are not accepted.