Catriona will be based at Edinburgh Napier
Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust has today announced the appointment of Catriona Schofield as the successful candidate for a new PhD linked to the Literature House development on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
A Doctoral Project, The Literature House in the Digital Age: New Directions for Literary Heritage, will explore how the new Literature House being developed at John Knox House and the Scottish Storytelling Centre could use digital and technological innovation to engage new and diverse audiences
The postgraduate role is made possible by Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Edinburgh, and is an Applied Research Collaborative Studentship funded by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities.
The research will focus on literature houses and writers’ museums around the world, understanding new audience engagement approaches and techniques, and consulting with Edinburgh’s communities.
A three-and-a-half year studentship, Catriona will be based at Edinburgh Napier University, working with Dr Tara Thomson with additional supervision from the University of Edinburgh’s Professor James Loxley. The research post includes a six-month placement working with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust.
Catriona Schofield, Literature House PhD researcher said: “I’m really excited to be doing this PhD! I have a background in English Literature and Museum Studies so this is right at the intersection of my interests.
“The Literature House is such a great project and I’m so happy to be on board - it’s the kind of place I’d love to explore as a visitor, which means that getting to actually help make it happen is amazing! I can’t wait to see it develop over the next few years.”
Ruth Plowden, Chair of Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust, said: “We are proud to be working with two excellent universities and to have secured ARCS funding to make this research happen. The Literature House will create a new space for Scottish books and writing, and a place to tell Edinburgh’s story as the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.
“It’s important to us to have strong research underpinning this project as we want to make the most of new technology and welcome as large and diverse an audience as possible at the Literature House.”
The Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust is the development agency for Edinburgh as a UNESCO City of Literature. It works to bring literature to the streets of Edinburgh, involving people in the city’s literary life, bringing organisations to work together collaboratively for greater impact, and sharing Edinburgh’s literary story with the world.