The Social Life of the War Relic: D-Day Objects at the Intersection of Personal, Family, and National Cultures of Remembrance

Project details

Aims and Focus: This project will examine how specific artefacts in the internationally renowned collections of The D-Day Story have functioned as ‘vectors’ of memory operating at the intersection of personal, family, and national cultures of remembrance. Focusing on a select number of artefacts, and with expert support from a joint Loughborough University-The D-Day Story supervisory team, the project’s first focus is to trace object specific ‘biographies’ indicative of D-Day’s rich and still largely overlooked social history. The project’s second key objective turns attention to how such analysis might be proactively ‘used’ to broaden and diversify the story of D-Day told at the museum. This objective will necessarily involve the Doctoral researcher working closely with the supervisory team to support the museum’s exhibition plans and curatorial strategy. The end result will break new ground in the interdisciplinary field of memory studies and it will innovate – within the context of a modern military museum – new curatorial strategies and approaches.

Significance: The history and memory of D-Day has long drawn sustained scholarly attention. As yet, however, there has been no detailed investigation into how D-Day artefacts exist at the intersection of personal, family, and national memory. This is where the project proposed here will make its crucial contribution to knowledge. It will turn attention from the purely military history of the war relic towards instead its often overlooked social history. It will pivot away from the well-established role of D-Day in the politics of national identity towards its equally important place in the local and the familial. And it will shift the focus from the topographic and commemorative sites of D-Day memory to its objects. In doing so, the project will benefit from the unique collections of The D-Day Story among which are, notably, a diverse range of artefacts revealing the Allied Invasion as a central event in British social and family history.

Funding Information

The studentship is for 3 years and provides a tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum plus tuition fees at the UK rate. 

Entry requirements

Students should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 at undergraduate. A Masters qualification in a relevant subject is also preferred.

English language requirements:

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website (http://www.lboro.ac.uk/international/applicants/english/).

How to apply

All applications should be made online. Under programme name, select Social Sciences and Humanities. Please quote the advertised reference number: SSH-SE-2024 in your application.

To avoid delays in processing your application, please ensure that you submit the minimum supporting documents.

The following selection criteria will be used by academic schools to help them make a decision on your application.

Advert information