Graduate Scholarships with the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity (CCRRI)

The Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity (CCRRI) invites applications for participation in a collaborative project, Education and Emancipation: A Critical, Intervention-Oriented Investigation of Obstacles and Opportunities Within the Higher-Education-and-Training Sector in South Africa. Through funding provided by the Department of Higher Education Training, applications are invited for 10 graduate scholarships (doctoral and masters-level) to participate in national study projects.

Where necessary, supervision will be arranged through staff at participating universities and the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity (UKZN), for this independent initiative.

The CCRRI is dedicated to facilitating the study of race thinking and changing identities so as to improve understanding of, and stimulate public dialogue about, the epistemological, moral, cultural and other bases for perceptions of human diversity and difference. The centre aims to use South Africa as a complex, multi-layered backdrop to study, and suggest practical solutions to local and global issues of race and identity. Its ultimate goal is to contribute towards social justice and tolerance of human difference, and to confirm and explore that which humans share, in this country and elsewhere.

Who can apply:

Funding is available for masters research at R170 000 per annum (for those who have completed an honours degree in the social sciences or humanities) or doctoral study at R200 000 per annum (for those who qualify by having completed an appropriate masters degree).

The CCRRI is specifically interested in proposals across individual disciplines.

The project:

The umbrella theme under which various contributions will be funded is as indicated in the project title above. See the project section of the CCRRI website for more information on the individual projects located therein.

How to apply:

A five page letter of motivation, clearly indicating a potential research project addressing the topic, taking into consideration the criteria for evaluation below, must be sent to the address provided, by 12 October 2012. Tell CCRRI why you should be chosen.

Applicants are requested to attach certified copies of degrees completed, a CV and an example of written work submitted for academic assessment. Indicate what languages you speak and write. Letters from two referees, who are familiar with what you have done as a student, must accompany the application.

CCRRI may well request an interview and/or a more extensive proposal for your own research project. If you wish, you may request a fuller information sheet on the specific project areas for which we have received funding before completing your own proposal.

Applications will be evaluated:

• On the basis of performance in completed degrees, especially on research components;
• On the feasibility, and appropriateness of the proposed research topic to the overall project aim, and on its presentation to the selectors;
• On innovation and imagination in interpreting the overall research project; and
• On the research methodology (especially important).

For further information or submission, contact Amanda Kinners on Tel: 031 260 1599 or E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more about the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity, refer to its website.