The larger project aims to examine the status of ethnogenetic thinking in post-Soviet Russia. The 'etnos' concept, with its radical 'primordialism' has been associated strongly with Soviet statebuilding creating an unarticulated assumption that theory crumbled along with Soviet institutions. It has been one of the surprises of the post-Soviet transition that 'ethnos-style' thinking not only persists but is a vibrant part of the Russian anthropological context. This project aims to rewrite the concept in an active mood demonstrating its evocativeness both to contemporary Russian society and to the discipline as a whole. The project will therefore make use of the interpretative ethnographic techniques developed by historians of science to examine the life history and archaeology of the concept.

The studentship, entitled 'Emerging Indigineities in the Russian North' queries the claim of indigeneity which is often thought to be confined to settler states overseas. This studentship will investigate emergent indigineities in the urban Russian North, with special reference to how these new movements articulate new collective identities transcending traditional national narratives. The PhD candidate will work closely with community organizations that are lobbying for the recognition of their status, and will similarly ground the fieldwork in a reading of published historical and unpublished archival texts. The project will work parallel to the established team working on the history of etnos theory on a special example of etnos theorising - the indigenous case.

For further information and eligibility information please see;
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/details.php?funding_id=222

The deadline for applications is 17 June 2013.