SGSAH Summer School 2023
Thursday 22nd June, 4.30 - 5.30pm, The Studio
PhD & Alumni Keynote Roundtable
In this roundtable, three of SGSAH’s current and graduated PhD researchers gather to discuss personal identity, demographic backgrounds and how the perspective of ‘I’ informs and underpins their academic work and creative practice. Far from being objective and dispassionate, such research draws its energy from the positioning of the individual conducting it, culminating in a fascinating range of standpoints, approaches and outputs. Join SGSAH and our speakers to hear more on this topic, and contribute your own angles to this conversation.
The speakers:
Graeme Armstrong (University of Strathclyde/SGSAH)
Graeme Armstrong is a Scottish author from Airdrie. His teenage years were spent within Scotland’s ‘young team’ gang culture. After reading English as an undergraduate at the University of Stirling, he completed a Master’s in Creative Writing. He recently presented a documentary for the BBC, ‘SCOTLAND THE RAVE’ which was subsequently nominated for a BAFTA and RTS Scotland award. His novel, ‘THE YOUNG TEAM’ is a Times bestseller and is based upon his experiences. He is currently undertaking a SGSAH funded PhD at the University of Strathclyde. His achievements include:
- Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award 2021
- Winner of the Betty Trask Award 2021
- Scots Book of the Year 2021
- Shortlisted Saltire First Book Award 2021
- Granta Best of Young British Novelists 2023 - 2033
Dr Diljeet Kaur Bhachu (University of Edinburgh/SGSAH alumni; Musicians’ Union)
Dr Diljeet Kaur Bhachu FRSA FHEA is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Musicians’ Union. Her background in Equalities work is primarily in music education, community music and research, and she has also been active as a trade union activist and member both within the MU and the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU). Prior to working at the MU, Diljeet was engaged in research consultancies and creative producing roles alongside lecturing and research supervision work. She has continued to be active as a musician throughout her career, and retains links with higher education in her current role.
Find her on Twitter and Instagram as @diljeetb_flute.
Jessica Secmezsoy-Urquhart (University of St Andrews)
Jessica is in the final year of their PhD on Renaissance disability history at the University of St Andrews. Their thesis focuses on the royal court roles of neurodiverse fools and bodilydiverse dwarfs and giants. They have written for or contributed videos on, history, disability to filmmaking and culture for The Skinny, Rebecca Riddeal’s History Fest, Film Stories, BBC Social, and BBC Scotland and are writing a novel, Life Goes On, about their Dede’s childhood in 1940-50s Istanbul they hope to publish after graduation. They are a filmmaker (about to put their first YouTube videos out at JessicaAKA) whose first short Constant Companion (currently being re-edited) tackled intrusive thoughts and abuse. Their second short, Superhuman, will focus on an autistic athlete fighting to get to the olympics yet keep their PIP. They can be found at jessicasecmezsoy@outlook.com, JessicasAKA / JessicasuAKA on Twitter/Instagram/TikTok, and as an agented writer at Bookseeker Agency.
