PhD Mums Breakfast Club

Sundays 9am-11.30am every 4 weeks, starting 8 May

While this space is primarily designed for PhD mums, to talk about the difficulties in balancing motherhood, work and PhD study, and how we often fall through the gaps of these communities without having a community of our own, this is an all-inclusive group. Thus PhD dads, and other parental carers and those becoming parents or thinking of becoming parents during their university study are welcome.

This is a relaxed space for open conversation and dialogue. I may throw in a few games and some fun activities, we will see how we go. But mostly the space is for getting to know each other, to build a little community of peer support and share experiences unique to PhD mumming. Children are welcome, but equally, if you just need a few mins rest, both are welcome. Come as you are! Looking forward to meeting all of you BBK PhD mums and sharing a few laughs together as we navigate the joys but also perils of managing parenthood and PhD life.

Also, If you are a Birkbeck PhD student, and would like to join the Birkbeck PhD Students WhatsApp group please use the invite link below. It will automatically add you to our WhatsApp group. Or our Facebook group.

Join Zoom Meeting: Meeting ID: 846 1564 6681 Passcode: phdmum

School of Advanced Study Research Training Programme 2021/22

TERM 3 

Registration is now open for the School of Advanced Study free research training programme for Term 3. These sessions are open to researchers at all levels in the UK and beyond. Advance registration is essential. Use the links below for more information and to book your place.

Monday 9th May 2022, 14:00 – 15:00: Managing your Time as a Researcher – Optimise the Summer

Wednesday 11th May 2022, 14:30 – 16:00: Visual Culture and Modern Languages Research

Monday 16th May 2022, 14:00 – 15:00: Overview of Books Publishing

Wednesday 18th May 2022, 14:00 – 16:00: Grounding World Literature

Wednesday 25th May 2022, 11:00 – 12:00: Writing for Different Audiences: Academic Blogging and Other Formats 

Wednesday 1st June 2022, 11:00 – 12:00: Research as Storytelling: Retelling your Research in Different Ways

Wednesday 8th June 2022, 11:00 – 13:00: Public Speaking

Wednesday 15th June 2022, 14:00 – 16:00: Teaching Skills for the PhD Student

Wednesday 22nd June 2022, 14:00 – 16:00: Languages Research in Schools

Wednesday 29th June 2022, 15:00 – 17:00: Decolonial Theory for Modern Languages Researchers

Postgraduate Pedagogies Journal: Doctoral Researcher Opportunity

At Postgraduate Pedagogies Journal we are currently working on our second volume of academic articles authored by postgraduate researchers and academics working with them. We aim to publish this summer. 

An opportunity to contribute to the design of the journal has come about, and so we are reaching out to Doctoral Schools and Graduate Colleges throughout the UK in search of a piece of refreshing design or artwork to dress the forthcoming volume of our journal.  

A bit of background: Postgraduate Pedagogies is an online open-access journal devoted to articulating and sharing the perspectives of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). We publish texts that convey the experiences, reflections, and analyses of current and recent graduate teaching assistants, those who work with GTAs, and those who support them. The journal publishes a variety of contributions, including Reflective Essays, Opinion Pieces, Case Studies, Book Reviews, and Technology Reviews.  

This competition is a call to doctoral researchers and early career researchers (up to a maximum of three years postdoctoral) who are currently based in the UK, with an eye for design. There are three prizes up for grabs, and all artworks will be judged by a panel of renowned artists and scholars (to be confirmed). 

First prize:  

•artwork printed on the front and back covers of Postgraduate Pedagogies Journal Vol. 2 

•£200 prize money 

2 Runners-up:  

•artwork printed inside the Postgraduate Pedagogies Journal Vol. 2 

•£50 prize money (each) 

Artwork specifications: 

Format: JPEG 

               300dpi 

                31.2×21.6cm 

Please submit file size 180dpi 

All submissions to be sent to: postgrad.pedagogies.journal@gmail.com by 17th May 2022. 

Call for Papers – Dandelion Special Issue on Creativity as Reparation

Hanna Segal argued that the unconscious driver behind artistic creation is the need to re-create a once loved and once whole, but now lost and ruined object. Creative practice, then, may be driven by an unconscious desire to recreate and reconstitute a ruined internal world and self. How might the act of art making heal a damaged subject? What drives creative impulses? And how can interrogating creative practice be helpful in the wider context of Arts and Humanities?

In tandem with the Wellcome Trust-funded exhibition Mending the Psyche, running at the Peltz gallery between May and July 2022, this special issue of Dandelion seeks submissions on the theme of creativity as reparation. Furthering the scope of the exhibition and programme of events which look specifically at creative practice as a response to grief and mourning, the issue opens the field to other forms of reparation, creative healing and art practice/process as a form of anti-capitalist resistance to productivity culture. 

We welcome papers that address a wide scope of themes within multiple disciplines including but not limited to; the intersection of art and science, literature, psychoanalysis, gender and sexuality, race and decoloniality, philosophy, film, photography, and all forms of creative practice.

This special issue provides an opportunity for an in-depth, interdisciplinary exploration of creativity and artistic practice as a mode of reparation, healing or expression of the subject in process.

Possible topics within this theme may be, but not limited to:

  • The function and process of creative practice or art making as a mode of ‘becoming’ or expression of the human subject in process
  • ‘Overcoming’ difficult experiences or trauma, reclaiming, healing and self-development through creative practice
  • The interrogation of social and cultural expectations of time delimited definitions of grief and mourning
  • Psychoanalytic theory on creative practice
  • Creative expressions of family, family histories, generational trauma
  • Memory, memoir, life-writing, auto-fiction, auto-theory
  • Creative forms of decolonial practice
  • The interrogation of capitalist, patriarchal, neo-liberal, colonial and heteronormative frameworks of creative production, self-development and personal growth.
  • Art making and creative practice as resistance, rebellion, activism
  • Creative and/or theoretical responses to the exhibition and programme of events

Submission guidelines

We welcome short articles up to 2000 words, critical reviews of books, films, performances and exhibitions, particularly creative and critical reflections on the Mending the Psyche exhibition and/or programme of events. We also encourage submissions of artwork including visual art; creative writing; podcasts and video footage (up to 10 minutes). We would be happy to discuss ideas for submissions with interested authors prior to the deadline. Please contact Carly Robinson on crobin16@student.bbk.ac.uk

Please also include a 50-word author biography and a 200-300-word abstract alongside your submission. All referencing and style is required in full MHRA format as a condition of publication and submitted articles should be academically rigorous and ready for immediate publication. Submissions can be made at  www.dandelionjournal.org/  or emailed to crobin16@student.bbk.ac.uk by 29th July 2022.

Birkbeck Research Degree Awards: March 2022

Birkbeck awards over 100 research degrees each year. During March, 16 Birkbeck Doctoral Researchers were awarded a PhD or Professional Doctorate for their work in the following areas:

School of Arts

3 PhDs in English, Theatre and Creative Writing

2 PhDs in Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics

1 PhD in Film, Media and Cultural Studies

1 PhD in History of Art

School of Business, Economics and Informatics

1 PhD in Economics, Mathematics and Statistics

1 PhD in Management

1 PhD in Organisational Psychology

1 DOccPsy in Organisational Psychology

School of Science

2 PhDs in Psychological Sciences

1 PhD in Biological Sciences

1 PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences

School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy

1 PhD in Philosophy

Flow n Flux

Monthly Newsletter

By Kim Caris-Roberts
Flow n Flux
“BIG BROTHER HOUSE, THIS IS DAVINA, YOU ARE LIVE ON
CHANNEL 4, PLEASE DO NOT SWEAR!”
This month there really was only one place to begin. Each and every one of us at Flow n Flux wanted to acknowledge how scary the world seems right now, in the wake of the war in the Ukraine; watching war unfold can make us feel powerless and the range of emotions can be complex. We needed to acknowledge that.
Were there any ‘right words’ for the current climate? We concluded not.
We expressed and shared our concerns and we are thankful we have a safe space to do this.


We then began to explore March’s theme: Reality TV. Big Brother seemed to have been the most common first experience of the genre, mentioned a number of times in our individual offerings from the free-writing activity, which enabled interesting free association using 9 words to gently guide us in our flow.
“It’s always been my guilty pleasure”, a statement many of us identified with. Why guilty? We discussed the topics of ‘contestant’ exploitation, whether the burgeoning genre which shows no signs of slowing offers opportunities once unheard of to generations, we questioned does Reality TV alleviate any need for talent?, what constitutes reality TV? Perhaps one unexpected answer: Football.


Referring to The White Pube Podcast: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, we
continued to explore our oft’ complicated relationship with this genre of TV. After much discussion one member proudly proclaimed “I am dropping my shame around
Reality TV: I love it!”.


Our last task was to create a Dragon’s Den-esque pitch for a new Reality TV show which embedded Feminist thought…Cue one group who pitched a plethora of misogyny offenders fighting it out for the opportunity to repent for their harms to cries of “In the pit! In the Pit!” that will forever echo in my ears every time I watch The Hunger Games.


For April we consider the questions of difference which have been
central to the way that the feminist movement articulates itself.
Specifically, we will explore difference among women, in particular,
along the lines of race, class and sexuality, as well as national and
geopolitical location. We will consider feminism, using Black feminism
as our centre, in order to look critically at the current cultural landscape.

Little Extras
April 1st-31st- Autism Awareness Month
April 1st-31st Stress Awareness Month
April 7th – World Health Day
April 25th-29th National Stalking Awareness Week
April 25th-1st May Lesbian Visibility Week

If you want to join FnF mailing list, please email:
flownflux@gmail.com

Call for Articles – Dandelion Journal Special Issue on Intersectionality

A core component of critical race theory, the term intersectionality was coined by American lawyer and academic Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1991 to describe the “multidimensionality” of the Black woman’s experience.

It describes how an individual’s different identities – such as gender identity, race, class, etc – intersect and overlap to create compound, interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. For example, a white woman may experience misogyny and a Black man may experience racism, but a Black woman will experience both misogyny and racism. All three experience discrimination – and, consequently, disadvantaged – but in different forms and to varying degrees.

This special issue of Dandelion Journal asks what role intersectional identities have in the arts (e.g. film, television, journalism, poetry, fine art, photography, literature, etc.), and how they impact on the production, sale and distribution of art/media objects around the world.

  • What impact do intersectional identities have on – and within – the arts, if any?
  • What can we learn from studying lived experiences in the arts through an intersectional lens?
  • How can we approach, understand and/or evaluate decision-making processes in the arts from an intersectional perspective?

We invite postgraduate research students to consider and respond to these questions within their specific disciplines and research foci, and to look forward towards a decolonised future within the arts.

Potential topics for exploration include, but are not limited to:

  • The decolonised newsroom.
  • Intersectional migration narratives.
  • Locating Black women in the history of art.
  • Intersectionality in fiction – contemporary and historical.
  • Decolonising galleries and museums.
  • Intersectionality in contemporary and historical fiction.
  • Language, identity and resistance.
  • Intersectional poetry.
  • Film and television – intersectionality on camera and behind the scenes.
  • The intersectional writer’s room (television).

Articles should be 2000 to 2500 words long. We would also be interested in publishing short works of speculative fiction between 1000 and 3000 words on the theme of intersectionality in the arts. You may also submit works of poetry or visual art pieces, accompanied by a critical reflection on your work of no more than 1500 words. We are happy to take any questions and discuss ideas with interested authors prior to the submission deadline.

Please send completed submissions to nsmith22@student.bbk.ac.uk before 1st June 2022, including a 50-word author biography and a 200-300 word abstract. All referencing and style is required in MHRA format as a condition of publication, and submitted articles should be academically rigorous and ready for immediate publication. Complete instructions for submission can be found at www.dandelionjournal.org.

Call for Interest/Papers – School of Law Annual PGR Conference

Thursday 26th and Friday 27th May 2022

Every year the Birkbeck Law and Criminology community comes together to listen to, discuss, and support PGR research at the School of Law Annual PGR Conference. We are delighted to confirm the dates for this year’s conference and to let you know that it will be taking place in-person at Birkbeck.

We encourage all PhD students within the School to use this opportunity to share their work – no matter what stage it is at! – and to hear and respond to the work of others within our research community. There is no theme to the conference as we would like the event to reflect the wide scope of fascinating and often intersecting topics each of us are working on across the department.

Presenting your work in academic settings is something that all PGR students who are planning to remain in academia need to have done before finishing their research projects, so this is a fantastic opportunity to gain (further) experience, and practice, refine, or experiment delivering your research in a friendly, supportive, and caring setting. Academic staff will be chairing panels and be in attendance, so this is also a useful chance to get some constructive feedback on your work from a wide variety of disciplinary experts.

Each paper should be 20 minutes. First year students are welcome to present shorter papers of 10 minutes if so desired. There will be Q&A sessions after each panel.

If you are interested in presenting, please send your name, a working title, and a few sentences describing the paper to birkbecklaw@gmail.com. This will enable us to organise the panels. However, if you would like to participate but need more time to develop your idea that is absolutely fine – just get in touch. It doesn’t have to be perfect at this stage! 

The deadline for submission is 5pm Friday 29th April 2022. 

We hope that this event will be a lovely chance for the Law & Criminology community to come together in-person for the first time in a while. However, we also acknowledge the many reasons that might make this impossible for some of us and so we are ready to explore hybrid options. If you want to participate but can only do so virtually, please get in touch with us. We are also keen to make the event as accessible as possible, so please let us know of any required adjustments if you are able to. 

Any questions or concerns, please contact us at birkbecklaw@gmail.com.

All the very best and we look forward to receiving the plans for your papers!

Lizzie, Jenny, and Shomo 

Law & Criminology PGR Reps

Three Minute Thesis Training sessions

The BGRS is pleased to announce the 2022 Birkbeck 3 Minute Thesis Competition, which will take place on Thursday 16 June from 6pm. Please mark this date in your diaries! This will be the first competition to have taken place in person since 2019.

Birkbeck 3MT: Thursday 16 June 2022

Join a selection of Birkbeck PhD students as they compete to communicate their compelling thesis topics in just three minutes. This event is a fantastic opportunity to share and celebrate the interests and successes of PhD researchers from across the College and we invite all current Birkbeck PhD students to take part. The winner of the Birkbeck competition will be chosen by an expert panel of judges who will award:

  • £500 to the overall winner
  • £250 to the runner up
  • The audience will also have their say by picking a people’s choice winner who’ll win a special prize.

Training Sessions

As part of our support for the competition, a free programme of training sessions has been arranged. All potential 3MT competitors should attend these sessions. However, any or all of them are open to any doctoral researcher at Birkbeck who would like to gain skills in these areas:

What is it like to take part in 3MT?

You can read more about what it was like to take part in the 2018 and 2019 3MT competitions in the following BGRS blog posts: 

This is an international event and the Birkbeck winner will have the opportunity to continue on to the UK semi-finals later in the year.