Collaboratory 2026 Research Placement Project
Key Details
Project Title: Echoes of Empire: Engaging communities with diverse cultural histories through the Histories of African Instruments at Nottingham Castle
Deadline:11:59pm Sunday 04 January 2026
Host University: University of Nottingham
Start date: Monday 20 April 2026
Funding offer: Tax-free bursary of £2,000 (paid monthly, in arrears).
Working hours: Part-time (14 hrs per week).
Working style: Primarily in-person at host university. Flexible working supported. Working pattern to be agreed between successful candidate and lead supervisor.
Project Supervisors
- Lead Supervisor: Dr Joanne Cormac (University of Nottingham)
- Academic Co-Supervisor: Dr Natasha Hodgson (Nottingham Trent University)
- Community Supervisor: Ann Inscker (Nottingham City Museums & Galleries/Nottingham City Council)
About The Project
This project uses the collection of African musical instruments at Nottingham Castle as a means of understanding how to engage the local community in discussions around the colonial histories of local cultural heritage collections. In doing so, it aims to find ways to conduct ethical research into such collections, and to develop strategies for contextualising and exhibiting them sensitively.
Nottingham Castle became the first municipal museum in the UK in 1878, but little research has been done into its collections. The Castle holds a sizeable collection of musical instruments of African origin, most of which date from the nineteenth century. Many instruments were donated by individual collectors, or else came to the Castle via other Museum collections. The collection raises issues around the colonial practices of extracting cultural products from their country of origin, as well as potential misinterpretation of the instruments’ cultural functions. Knowledge of these instruments is currently limited. The Nottingham City Museums and Galleries (NCMG) database contains some information about collectors, chronology, locations, and materials, but there are many gaps, and little to no information on the functions and sound of the instruments. There is also little understanding of how these instruments may have been made accessible to the public in the past (either in the way they are stored or through exhibitions and outreach events).
This project will explore the Castle’s archives and will use databases of similar instruments in other UK collections to develop our understanding of the objects’ provenance, geographical origins, sound, cultural meaning, and history of display. All the while, it will unpick the colonial practices underpinning the development and contextualisation of the collection. To understand how the community would like to engage with the collection, and to gain a variety of perspectives and recommendations for the collection’s interpretation, the project will work closely with a heritage community group the Legacy Makers, whose ancestors were enslaved. The group’s recommendations will be sought through two focus groups.
The outcomes of the project will include updates to the NCMG database and a report detailing findings on the instruments and recommendations from the focus groups. These will inform future curatorial work and will also be shared with other heritage and educational organisations so that the benefits of the project can reach beyond the Castle.
Project Aims
The overall aims of the project are:
- To investigate the provenance, cultural meanings, and function of the African instruments in the NCMG collection using secondary literature, the Castle’s own archives, and through comparison with online databases of similar instruments.
- To research the history of displaying the collection by using the Castle’s archives, local newspaper archives, and through discussion with the Community Partner.
- To connect the collection to broader histories of colonialism and imperialism by doing secondary reading about these histories.
- To understand community responses to the collection and to gather their recommendations about how best to contextualise it.
What will the successful candidate be doing?
The successful candidate will work the collection of African musical instruments at Nottingham Castle under the guidance of Ann Inscker, Curator of Human History. You will undertake desk-based research in the Castle Archive as well as at the University of Nottingham library. You may also need to access Nottingham Local Studies Library for local newspapers.
You will also run two focus groups with the Legacy Makers community group, where you will discuss the colonial histories pertinent to the collection and how best to contextualise them.
You will write a report on your findings with recommendations for updating the NCMG database and on the collection’s future contextualisation.
Core Competencies
Category | Competencies | Assessed: Application (A), Interview (I) |
Comprehension and evaluation | Strong understanding of the project and its subject matter. | A / I |
Analytical, researcher mindset with keen attention to detail. | A / I | |
Communicate complex concepts with clarity and precision. | A / I | |
Able to identify connections, patterns, gaps, and irregularities in information/data. | I | |
Able to interpret data/information confidently with logic and empathy to derive meaning. | I | |
Social and emotional | Demonstrable experience of responding effectively to changing contexts, information and demands. | A |
Ability to persevere in the face of challenges/failures and to remain constructive in developing solutions. | A | |
Demonstrable passion for learning with clear drive and curiosity to undertake this specific research project. | A / I | |
Strong desire to make a positive community impact through the research. | A / I | |
Willingness to think deeply about complex concepts and engage with academic ideas and theory. | A / I | |
Preparedness and potential for success | Experience of working, collaborating and communicating effectively with different stakeholders. | A |
High level of self-motivation and ability to work with minimal guidance. | A / I | |
Strong organisational and time-management skills with the ability to balance and prioritise multiple tasks. | A / I | |
Able to identify the technical, personal, or professional skills required for a task and take action to develop these. | A / I | |
Community Context | Appreciation/understanding of the importance of community insight and experience in the generation of new knowledge. | A / I |
Awareness/understanding of the broader societal context related to the subject matter of the project. | A / I |
Project-Specific Competencies
| Essential | Assessed: Application (A), Interview (I) | Desirable | Assessed: Application (A), Interview (I) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience of working with community organisations. | A / I | Experience of working in the museums and heritage sector. | A / I |
| Understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultural making of Nottingham communities. | A / I | Experience of archival research. | A / I |
| Understanding of current ideas and conversations about diversity and inclusivity with local heritage. | A / I | Experience of studying or working in a relevant area such as music, ethnomusicology, imperial and colonial history, museum studies, community arts engagement, or other area relevant to the project. | A / I |
References for Further Reading
- Balfour, Henry, The Natural History of the Musical Bow: A Chapter in the Developmental History of Stringed Instruments of Music (Clarendon Press, 1899). Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Natural_History_of_the_Musical_Bow.html?id=zM8TAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y
- MLA and Collections Trust, Revisiting Collections Toolkit (2009) available at chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://collectionstrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Revisiting-Museum-Collections-toolkit.pdf.
- Mak HW, Coulter R, Fancourt D, ‘Associations between community cultural engagement and life satisfaction, mental distress and mental health functioning using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS): are associations moderated by area deprivation?’ BMJ Open 2021; 11:e045512. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045512
- Martí, Josep, ‘Ethnomusicology, Folklore, and Social Relevance,’ translated by Peter Collins. Ethnomusicology Translations, 15 (2024). DOI: 10.14434/emt.No.15.37936
- Museums Association, Guide: Supporting Decolonisation in Museums, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://media.museumsassociation.org/app/uploads/2021/11/02155426/Supporting-decolonisation-in-museums.pdf
- Parry, Hubert, The Evolution of the Art of Music (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. 1897). Available at https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Evolution_of_the_Art_of_Music/MphBAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PR3&printsec=frontcover