East Asian Studies
- PhD
Overview
Conduct advanced research on East Asia in an innovative interdisciplinary school. Study with internationally renowned sociology, politics and international relations scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment.
Focus on East and South Asian societies, culture and politics, including issues relating to security, conflict, peace and violence; ethnicity, migration and citizenship; gender and sexuality; race, colonialism, postcolonialism, and decolonialism; the climate crisis; political economy; political and social inequalities; social, political and international theory; and socio-technical systems and their politics, among others.
Benefit from academic expertise across a range of cultural, political and social theory and scholars who champion diverse research methodologies. Get specialised support and oversight from two PhD supervisors whose current active research interests and expertise are relevant to your chosen research area.
Be challenged and inspired by an international community of scholars addressing some of the most important topics that face us today. Join a diverse, innovative community, committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated.
Produce work that advances theory, knowledge and methods at the cutting edge and contributes to a better understanding and improvement of the world.
Entry requirements
An upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) and normally a merit at MSc/MA level (or equivalent).
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level B.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £5,106 per year
- Home: part-time
- £2,553 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £21,900 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
The Faculty of Social Sciences and Law has an allocation of 1+3 and +3 ESRC scholarships. Applicants may also be interested in applying for funding from the University of Bristol scholarship fund or alumni PhD scholarship fund.
For more information about funding visit our Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships page.
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
Bristol graduates are in high demand and have an excellent record of employment following graduation. Graduates of our postgraduate research programmes go on to pursue varied and interesting careers.
Past students have gone on to work for Refugee UK, Shelter, Barnardo's, Amnesty International, government departments and the European Parliament, among others.
Meet our supervisors
The following list shows potential supervisors for this programme. Visit their profiles for details of their research and expertise.
Research groups
Our research activity in the school is guided by focusing on key themes:
- climate emergency
- critical (in)securities
- cultural work
- decoloniality and race
- ethnicity, migration and citizenship
- European politics and societies
- digital society
- science and technology
- food security
- gender and sexuality
- peace, conflict and violence
- political and social inequalities
- social, cultural and political theory
- South and East Asia.
All researchers across the school identify with one or more of the themes. This enables collective identification over themes within the school and aims to generate further collaboration and interdisciplinarity in our research activities. In addition, the themes provide a basis for internal and external recognition of the main questions and topics that our research addresses.
Contact us
- Contact
Postgraduate Student Administrator
- Phone
- +44 (0)
117 331 7572
- spais-pgr@bristol.ac.uk