National Archives of Australia/Australian Historical Association postgraduate scholarships

National Archives of Australia/Australian Historical Association scholarships assist talented postgraduate scholars with the cost of copying records held in the Archives. For example, scholars may be based in one city and want to see records located in an Archives office in another city. Assistance with digital copying costs will provide access to material that might not otherwise be possible.

Terms of awards

Eligibility

The assistance is designed for postgraduate scholars undertaking research towards a Masters or PhD degree in history.

Award

Successful applicants will be known as 'National Archives of Australia/Australian Historical Association postgraduate scholars'.

Successful applicants will receive a credit of $650 to spend on purchasing digital copies of whole files in the Archives' collection. Prices for digital copies of files are set out in Copying charges.

Four scholarships worth $650 each will be awarded annually.

Requirements

Successful applicants will be required to:

  • request the copies within a year of receiving the award
  • produce a brief finding aid to part of the Archives' collection based on their research within 12 months of receiving the award. This could be in the form of a two-page fact sheet or a short contribution to the 'A–Z for researchers' section of the Archives' website. The Archives also welcomes proposals for short articles on research topics that appeal to a wider audience for its e-magazine Your Memento.

Selection

The Selection Committee will consist of nominees of the Archives and the Australian Historical Association, and such others as they see fit to co-opt, either permanently or on an ad hoc basis. The Committee's decision will be final.

Former recipients

Former recipients of the scholarship are:

November 2012:

Lucy Davies, PhD Candidate (History) at LaTrobe University, Melbourne.
Topic: The movement of Papua New Guineans to Australia in 1935-1975

Steve Marti, PhD Candidate (History), the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Topic: Embattled communities: patriotism and identity in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, 1914-1918

June 2012:

Janette Bailey, PhD Candidate, School of History and Philosophy, University of New South Wales, Sydney.
Topic: The US Dust Bowl and Australia: a transnational study of the reception and interpretation of an environmental idea

Sarah Burnside, MSc candidate in Economic and Social History, University of Oxford.
Topic: Mineral Booms, Taxation and the National Interest: the 1974 Fitzgerald report

November 2011:

Claire Higgins, PhD Candidate (History), Merton College, University of Oxford.
Topic: Controlled generosity? The development of Australian refugee policy, 1975-1985

Laura Stanley, PhD Candidate (History), Victoria University, Melbourne.
Topic: The Australian-American alliance and the Cuban missile crisis

How to apply

Applications must include the following information (it is suggested that applicants structure their application in the same order as the points below):

1 Personal Details

You should provide:

  • name and contact details
  • title of research project
  • curriculum vitae that includes details of noteworthy achievements (for example, previous degrees, professional awards, conference papers or published articles).

2 Research project

Your research proposal should include:

  • title of research project
  • a one to two paragraph summary of the project, including the anticipated form of the completed work (for example, chapter of thesis, journal article, web page, conference paper or creative project)
  • how the project will make use of records held by the Archives, detailing the records you intend to use.

3 References

We require one written reference that addresses the applicant's:

  • qualifications, ability, achievements and potential
  • quality of previous research.

Submitting the application

There will be two rounds of applications each year.

  • Round 1:
    • Applications open: 1 April
    • Applications close: 30 April (close of business)
    • Awards announced: May
  • Round 2:
    • Applications open: 1 October
    • Applications close: 31 October (close of business)
    • Awards announced: November

Applications should be submitted to:

AHA Secretariat
The Australian Historical Association
PO Box 82
FAIRY MEADOW NSW 2519

Email: TheAHA@latrobe.edu.au

(Office hours: Mondays and Friday only)

Copyright National Archives of Australia 2013