Role Purpose/Context:
The South Australian Museum has a nationally and internationally significant collection of material culture from around the world. The museum has important collections from Egypt, Africa and the Americas; however the most significant amongst these are the collections from the Pacific. These non-Australian collections, which were previously labelled as Foreign Ethnology, have been renamed as World Cultures. This change of title is part of a changing structure, which will also encourage new approaches and emphasis around research in the collections. The first expression of that change is the World Cultures Research Fellowship.
This Fellowship provide opportunities for scholars and cultural professionals to apply for project-based employment in the Humanities Department. The Fellowship’s principal focus is to promote the study of significant aspects of the Humanities collections, and to encourage public dissemination of this research. This Research Fellowship in World Cultures endeavours to open previously underutilised aspects of the Museum’s collections to broader circles of scholarship and community. It will also provide an opportunity for critical reflection on the future trajectories of research around these collections.
Applications for the fellowship will be considered in response to the strategic benefits the scholarship can provide to the Museum in relation to research around and exhibition of our collections. Applicants should consider the South Australian Museum Science and Research Strategic Plan and the areas of focus within this document.
Key Selection Criteria:
- This position seeks to attract candidates who are interested in researching aspects of the South Australian Museum’s World Cultures Collections.
- Applicants are asked to propose a research project that addresses questions of relevance to the South Australian Museum and to identify collections (or specific parts of collections) of most relevance to that project.
- Applicants should identify the key outcomes of the research project.
- Applicants should show an awareness of the history of the Museum and its collections, and indicate how their project relates to the strengths or weaknesses in the Museum’s research history.
- Applicants should demonstrate an appreciation for the emerging field of Indigenous Museologies and explain how their project would engage and contribute in practical and discursive ways.
- Applicants will be assessed by the quality of their proposal, the viability of their project, and its relevance to the Museum’s strategic priorities. The experience and capacity of the applicant in delivering outcomes from research projects will also be a key consideration.
Essential/Desirable Qualifications:
Post Graduate qualifications in Anthropology, History, Art History, World Cultures, Museum Studies or other fields relevant to the Museum collections is essential.
Special Conditions:
This is a contract/term vacancy for 3 years. Some out of hours’ business work, intra and Interstate travel will also be required. Engagement in this role may be subject to a satisfactory Department for Communities and Social Inclusion background screening check.
For more information or to apply visit: JobsSA.
