Strategic Themes & Priority Areas

SGSAH supports and develops PhD research across the full range of Arts & Humanities subjects. From 2021, it has also designated a set of Strategic Themes and Priority Areas:

Modern Languages: SGSAH recognizes the central importance of developing future research leaders with an open and global outlook as well as acknowledging the potential threat to the discipline posed by low application numbers (within a UK context). This priority area links to SGSAH’s Modern Languages Discipline+ Catalyst.

Celtic Languages and Studies: Coincident with SGSAH’s prioritization of Modern Languages, SGSAH is building on the legacy of the AHRC Centre for Doctoral Training for Celtic Languages (led by the University of Glasgow), which had significant impact on connectivity across the UK and has benefited all students undertaking research in this area. This priority area links to SGSAH’s Modern Languages Discipline+ Catalyst alongside the interdisciplinary scope of other Discipline+ Catalysts.

Creative Industries/Economies: Alongside the establishment of SGSAH’s Creative Economy Knowledge Exchange Hub in 2019 and our partnership PhDs schemes (the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Awards and the SFC Applied Research Collaborations), SGSAH is focused on enabling research relating to creative industries and economies, both in relation to major industrial and cultural institutions, as well as small and medium enterprises and artist-run initiatives and collectives.

Cultural and Heritage Studies: Alongside the establishment of SGSAH’s Heritage Knowledge Exchange Hub in 2019, and our partnership PhDs schemes (the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Awards and the SFC Applied Research Collaborations), SGSAH is focused on the relationship between heritage, society and economy and the diverse ways that Arts & Humanities research can inform this through research impact and knowledge exchange.

Environmental Humanities: This Strategic Theme focuses on research relating to environmental crisis, climate change and the Anthropocene across a variety of disciplinary, multi- and interdisciplinary approaches. The Theme relates to SGSAH’s GREEN/GRADUATE initiative, which is considering the role of the Arts & Humanities early career research at strategic and operational levels. This priority area links with the interdisciplinary scope of our Discipline+ Catalysts.

Equalities, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Social Justice within Arts & Humanities contexts: SGSAH is committed to EDI, both in terms of our operational practices and as a Strategic Theme focusing research. The Theme relates to aspects of social justice within Arts & Humanities contexts, including the examination of aspects of decolonising academia or focusing on under-represented or studied demographics (historically or in the present day, across a range of disciplinary, multi- and interdisciplinary approaches). This priority area links with the interdisciplinary scope of our Discipline+ Catalysts.