Postgraduate research opportunitiesUnorthodox health activism in Britain after 1948

1890061 Postgraduate research opportunities Unorthodox health activism in Britain after 1948 Apply Key facts Opens: Thursday 30 July 2026 Deadline: Friday 30 October 2026 Number of places: 1 Duration: 3 years Funding: Home fee, Stipend Overview This project explores the history of unorthodox approaches to health in Britain in the 20th and 21st centuries. It focuses on activism and community organising which sought alternative approaches to health and medicine. It seeks to understand the experiences of individuals involved in these alternative health movements using a combination of archival research and oral history. Eligibility Project details Funding details Supervisors Apply Contact us Eligibility Back to opportunity Eligibility Applicants for this studentship must have: honours degree (high 2:1 or 1:1) and a masters degree in History (with Merit / Distinction) or cognate discipline. Predicted grades will be accepted for masters degrees where the course of study ends before the commencement of the PhD studentship Project details Back to opportunity Project Details Alternative approaches to health, and the communities and activists who promote them, grew in prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have always been an important aspect of health in Britain. This project aims to further our historical understanding of these unorthodox approaches to health in Britain after 1948. What was it like to be part of these health movements? How did people become involved? What effects on everyday experiences of health did membership of unorthodox health movements create? How have public health practitioners, health policy makers and health workers responded to these movements? This studentship will be affiliated with the Wellcome-funded project: ‘A Transnational History of AIDS Denial: Origins, Manifestations and Persistence, 1981 to the present’ , and projects which examine similar unorthodox approaches to health in the 20th and/or 21st Century are encouraged. While we encourage candidates to design their own programme of research, possible foci for the PhD studentship could be: historicising the late 20th century British anti-vaxx movement historicising cancer denial a history of CAMs (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) and everyday health media representations of alternative health movements regional unorthodox health activism spiritual/religious health communities 'wellness’ movements Funding details Back to opportunity Funding details This scholarship award covers Home fees and equivalent UKRI stipend for the duration of study, to be completed within three years. The stipend rate for commencing study on 1 January 2027 is £16,354 (pro-rata of £21,805) – paid in monthly instalments of £1,817 (tax-free) and likely to increase each year. International applications are welcomed but if successful, would need to fund the difference between Home & International fees per annum for the duration of study. While there is no funding in place for oppo