Examining ‘Blackfulla Humour’ on social media (PhD scholarship)

What you’ll receive

You’ll receive a stipend scholarship of $40,000 per annum for a maximum duration of 3.5 years while undertaking a QUT PhD. This is inclusive of a $30,000 per annum living stipend, and a $10,000 per annum top-up scholarship. This is the full-time, tax-free rate which will index annually, and includes a full tuition fee offset.

The duration includes an extension of up to 6 months if approved for your candidature.

As the scholarship recipient, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of leading researchers while undertaking your own innovative research.

You will be supervised by at least one Aboriginal researcher, and have the freedom to build a PhD supervisory panel that best suits your aims and needs.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

• be able to commence by 30 June 2023
• be eligible for admission to QUT’s Doctor of Philosophy Degree
• be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and be able to provide confirmation of this
• have a background in Indigenous studies, digital/social media studies, media studies, journalism, law and justice or related field.

Find out more about confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent via the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website .

How to apply

Apply for this scholarship at the same time you apply for admission to a QUT Doctor of Philosophy.

The first step is to email Dr Ariadna Matamoros-Fernandez detailing your academic and research background, your motivation to research in this field and interest in this scholarship, and include your CV.

If supported to apply, you will then submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) following the advice at How to apply for a research degree .

In your EOI, nominate Dr Ariadna Matamoros-Fernandez as your proposed principal supervisor, and copy the link to this scholarship into question 2 of the financial details section.

What happens next?

For questions about this research project, please contact Dr Ariadna Matamoros-Fernandez

For questions about the application process, please contact hdr@qut.edu.au .

About the scholarship

This PhD project will examine First Nations’ use of ‘Blackfulla Humour’ (e.g. Hurley, 2018) on social media, and platforms’ responses to it. The project considers and aims to help preserve the role of humour in wellbeing and in speaking back to power.

The importance of social media for Indigenous movement-building means it is important to protect jokes that take aim at patriarchal, racist, and colonial structures, even if these interventions play with tactics like shaming, linguistic appropriation of sexist and racist slurs, and humiliation that might offend (rather than harm) privileged audiences. By foregrounding Indigenous intellectual sovereignty for knowledge production (Rigney, 2001), the project foregrounds principles of resistance, political integrity, and privileging of Indigenous voices in academic research.

The anticipated outcomes include theoretical advances, workable principles for better content moderation processes that reduce harm without restricting healthy expression, and evidence-based contributions to debates on online safety regulation in Australia.

The candidate will be supervised by Dr Ariadna Matamoros-Fernandez and have the opportunity for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander academic to join the supervisory panel. The candidate will also have the opportunity to engage in a dynamic environment with members of the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice’s research centres and groups.

The successful applicant will join the exciting research community at the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC) and the ARC CoE for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), which has existing strengths to regional/rural communities , news, media, and journalism , everyday online culture , online safety , and researching with Indigenous communities . The candidate will be connected to a research environment that produces projects informed by social justice principles, and Indigenous research projects, such as “Connecting in the Gulf”.