Finding Australia's Disabled Authors

Investigate the representation of disabled writers and disability in Australian literature 

About this project 

If you are seeking to advance your career in the creative industries and are interested in investigating disabled writers and disability more generally in Australian literature, the University of South Australia – Australia’s University of Enterprise – is offering a hands-on project-based Master of Research within UniSA’s Creative People, Products and Places research centre (CP3).  

Disabled writers tend to be missing from conversations about our national literature. This research project aims to explore disabled writers and disability more generally in Australian literature, particularly in the context of 19th century writing, by investigating who Australia’s disabled authors are, how they have forged their writing careers, and how their disability shapes their creative practice. The candidate is expected to develop their thesis in either creative writing or literary studies on a subject related to their searches on 19th century Australian disabled writers. 

What you’ll do 

In this project-based research degree, you will contribute to the Writing Disability in Australia dataset in Austlit, the Australian Literature database, through archival and online searches such as Trove and state and national library collections.  

Upon completion of the project, you will be encouraged to present your work at two conferences (for example the Association for the Study of Australian Literature or the Australasian Association of Writing Programs) to gain experience in research communication, and will develop these presentations into papers. 

Where you’ll be based 

The project will be located within the Creative People, Products and Places research centre. CP3 is an internationally recognised interdisciplinary research centre undertaking high-quality collaborative research into culture and creativity. Building upon the base of world-class cultural studies-informed research into cultural and creative industries at UniSA, CP3 is concerned with the creative ecosystem of art, media and culture, including its communities, economies, publics, institutions and values. This nexus will support the project’s focus on the way that communities, cultures and environments shape disabled authors’ work. The Masters fellow will be supported by a thriving HDR culture at UniSA. They will receive funding towards conference travel, and will benefit from a rigorous programme of HDR training, as well as connections with local industry bodies, such as Writers SA.  

CP3 is part of the UniSA Creative Unit, incorporating the South Australian School of Art, which brings together the disciplines of architecture, planning, art and design, journalism, communication and media, film and television and the creative industries to produce flexible graduates with multidisciplinary capabilities. Financial Support 

This project is funded for reasonable research expenses. Additionally, a living allowance scholarship of $32,500 per annum is available to Australian and New Zealand citizens, and permanent residents of Australia, including permanent humanitarian visa holders. Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants will be eligible to receive an increased stipend rate of $45,076 per annum. A fee-offset or waiver for the standard term of the program is also included. For full terms and benefits of the scholarship please refer to our scholarship information. International applicants are not invited to apply at this time.

Eligibility and Selection 

This project is open to applications from Australian or New Zealand citizens, and Australian permanent residents or permanent humanitarian visa holders. International applicants are not invited to apply at this time.

Applicants should also submit a full research proposal (approximately 2500 words) that has been developed in consultation with the proposed principal supervisor. A template to help guide this application is available here.

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for entrance into a Master of Research. All applications that meet the eligibility and selection criteria will be considered for this project. A merit selection process will be used to determine the successful candidate.

The successful applicant is expected to study full-time and ideally to be based at our Magill Campus in the north of Adelaide. Applicants with disability and/or chronic illness are encouraged to apply.

Essential Dates 

Applicants are expected to start in a timely fashion upon receipt of an offer. Extended deferral periods are not available. Applications close on Friday,10th of May.