thesis on oxford

ORA Oxford Thesis Collection

All theses written in fulfilment of a University of Oxford post-graduate research degree are eligible for deposit to ORA, and it has been mandated as part of the requirements surrounding a research degree for students who commenced their study from 1st October 2007 to deposit a complete copy to ORA.

For every thesis deposited, an ORA record page is created, and this content is openly shared via the ORA API, including to specific services such as the British Library's EThOS service. The ORA Oxford Thesis Collection presents the theses available within ORA. For many of these works ORA is the only space in which the content is made available, making it a valuable resource for accessing the research being undertaken by the University of Oxford students and early career researchers.

If you undertook your research degree at Oxford and would like to make your thesis available via ORA, please see the ORA theses LibGuide for further information or contact the ORA team.

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Finding theses

The Bodleian Library has purchased copies of some UK theses. These can be found on SOLO (the University’s online library catalogue) and may be ordered for delivery to a reading room. 

Theses from other universities held in Oxford are not all catalogued in a uniform way. Adding the word 'thesis' as a keyword in SOLO may help, but this is unlikely to find all theses, and may find published works based upon theses as well as unpublished theses.

Card catalogue  

Some early theses accepted for higher degrees and published before 1973 are held in the Bodleian Library but are not yet catalogued on SOLO. These holdings can be found in the Foreign Dissertations Catalogue card index. This catalogue is not currently available to readers.

To request access to material in the catalogue, speak to library staff at the Main Enquiry Desk in the Lower Reading Room of the Old Bodleian Library, or contact us by email or phone (01865 277162). 

Other finding aids

Proquest dissertations & theses.

You can use ProQuest Dissertations & Theses: UK & Ireland to locate theses accepted for higher degrees at universities in the UK and Ireland since 1716. The service also provides abstracts of these theses.

Library Hub Discover

You can use Library Hub Discover to search the online catalogues of some of the UK’s largest university research libraries to see if a thesis is held by another UK library.

EThOS is the UK’s national thesis service, managed by the British Library. It aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK higher education institutions, with free access to the full text of many theses. It has around 500,000 records for theses awarded by over 120 institutions.

UTREES - University Theses in Russian, Soviet, and East European Studies 1907–

UTREES is a bibliographical database of research in the British Isles. The database has been continuously extended from the printed volume, most recently with 202 recent theses added in 2021. The database lists details of over 6,000 doctoral and selected masters’ theses from British and Irish universities. It covers research relating to Eastern and Central Europe, Russia and the area of the former USSR, including Central Asia, the Caucasus and Siberia.

White Rose ETheses Online

White Rose ETheses Online is an online repository of doctoral theses from the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. It is part of a national and international network of open access online databases which promote access to research outputs. Many theses have been digitised by the British Library as part of the EThOS. However there have been instances where theses are available via WhiteRose eTheses Online before they reach EThOS.

Individual universities

You can also go to individual UK universities' sites for their online theses repositories.

Ordering theses

Many theses from other UK universities are available to be downloaded for free from the British Library's EThOS service. 

You can also request theses from other UK universities as an inter-library request .

Please note that it may not be possible to obtain some theses due to restrictions on lending placed by the author of the thesis or the institution at which it is held.

Current members of Oxford University pay a standard subsidised fee for inter-library loans of UK theses. Readers who are not current members of Oxford University will be charged differently. We recommend that such readers use the facilities provided by their own institution or their local public library.

Cambridge theses

You can purchase copies of Cambridge University theses through the Cambridge University Library's online order form . There is a standard charge of £75 (plus VAT and postage).

Copies of theses

Some full-text theses can be downloaded for free from EThOS. 

It may be possible to copy small sections from a paper thesis obtained via interlibrary loan. Enquiry and reserve desk staff may be able to advise, but you can send enquiries to the Inter-Library Loans team .

Research examinations

• Before the Examination
• Writing and Submitting your Thesis
• The Viva Examination
• Outcomes and Referrals
• Deposit and Consultation of Thesis

The information provided below provides a summary of key regulations applicable to all examinations. It is your responsibility to read and adhere to the  Examination Regulations .

The procedures for the submission and examination of theses are detailed in the  Examination Regulations , as well as the  Notes of Guidance for the Examination of Research Degrees (GSO.20a) .

When to submit a thesis

Students must have the appropriate student status before they are permitted to submit a copy of their thesis: if you are a student for the MSc by Research, MLitt, or MPhil, this means having completed your transfer of status; if you are a student for the DPhil, this means having passed both your transfer and confirmation of status.

You can find the details of your final submission deadline on Student Self Service, at ‘My Student Record’ > ‘Academic Information’. This maximum submission date is different to the expected completion date found on your University Card and Enrolment Certificate, and is the date by which you must have submitted the examination copy of your thesis. If you will not be in a position to submit your thesis by this date you will need to consider submitting an application for an extension.

Appointment of examiners

You should liaise with your supervisor regarding the selection of your proposed examiners. It is usual for supervisors to informally invite the proposed examiners, and confirm their willingness to act, before the submission of the Appointment of Examiners form.

Once you have decided on an appropriate internal and external examiners with your supervisor, you should complete the  Application for Appointment of Examiners (GSO.3) form  in Student Self Service, and read the accompanying Notes of Guidance. Once you have completed and submitted your section, the application will be sent to your supervisor who will propose examiner names to the relevant board, together with details of any special considerations which either yourself or the supervisor wishes to make known about potential examiners.

If you wish to request an early  viva , you will be given the opportunity to do so in the GSO.3 form. This cannot be used to request that a viva happens ‘as soon as possible’, but only where there is a specific date by which the viva must have taken place. If the faculty board accepts your request, your examiners will be invited on the basis that they conduct before a date you specify. You should bear in mind when specifying this date that you should allow your examiners at least four weeks to examine your thesis before the date of the viva, and the submission dates of your application form and thesis should reflect this. 

It is strongly recommended that you submit your section of the GSO.3 form four to six weeks prior to submitting your thesis, since the names of your examiners have to be approved and their acceptance received before your thesis can be provided to them. If you submit your form and thesis together, your thesis will not be provided to the examiners until these preliminaries have been completed.

Detailed guidance on all sections of the Appointment of Examiners form can be found in the GSO.20a .

Maximum number of terms’ extension permitted

The maximum number of terms’ extension permitted for DPhil students is six terms. Applications for extensions within this limit should be made via Student Self Service . Applications for extensions which would take you beyond six terms of extension will not be granted without both the full support of your supervisor(s), college and department/faculty, and in addition, special dispensation from the Examination Regulations agreed by the University Education Committee. Such applications should be made through your  Graduate Studies Assistant .

The maximum number of terms’ extension permitted for Master of Letters and Master of Science by research students is three terms.

Submission of examiners’ copies of your thesis 

The examination copies of all research degrees must be digitally submitted via the Research Theses Digital Submission (RTDS) portal before 11:59pm on the student’s maximum submission date. Submissions made via any other method will not be accepted. Full guidance on the functionality and instructions on how to submit your thesis using RTDS can be found in the  Quick Reference Guide for Students .

You may submit the digital examiners’ copy of your thesis at the same time as applying for the appointment of examiners, but note that your examiners will not be sent a link to download the thesis, until your  Appointment of Examiners form  has been approved and your examiners have formally confirmed their appointment to the Research Degree Team at the Examination Schools.

Presentation of theses and abstracts - style and format

Information on special regulations for specific subject areas and divisional and faculty boards can be found in the relevant Examination Regulations ; you should check the specific requirements for your course of study in the relevant regulations. A set of general advice on the format of the thesis can also be found in the General Regulations Governing Research Degrees, and is replicated in the GSO.20a .

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. Under the regulations for examinations, intentional or reckless plagiarism is a  disciplinary offence  (sections 4 and 5).

There are different  types of plagiarism  and you should familiarise yourself with each of them. You may benefit from taking an  online course  which has been developed to provide a useful overview of the issues surrounding plagiarism and practical ways to avoid it.

If plagiarism is suspected in your thesis, the matter will be referred to the relevant Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). They will thoroughly investigate the claim and may call you for interview. As part of the investigation, text-matching software such as iThenticate or TurnItIn may be used to scan the thesis but the thesis will not be saved to any text-matching software databases. If at this point there is no evidence of a breach of the regulations, no further disciplinary action will be taken although you still may be required to make changes to your thesis. However, if it is concluded that a breach of the regulations may have occurred, the DGS will refer the matter to the Proctors.

Extenuating circumstances

If you have a disability that may affect your thesis, this needs to be considered at the time that you are writing your thesis. There are a number of measures that can be put in place to support you whilst writing your thesis and these can be discussed with the Disability Advisory Service and your department/college disability advisors. These measures could include extensions of time for milestones, assistive technology, use of a proof reader etc.

By the time you submit your thesis no further consideration of the disability for the written work is appropriate, as you will have been given sufficient support so that your thesis can be examined under the same academic criteria as those theses submitted by students without a disability.

The oral examination or viva

It is the responsibility of the internal examiner to make all the arrangements for the viva examination. Your internal examiner should normally contact you to arrange a date for your  viva  within a month of receiving your thesis. If you have not heard from your examiner within a month of your thesis being sent, please contact the Research Degrees Team, who will contact your examiners. You must not contact your examiners yourself, except when you have to agree a date for the viva.

If you wish to ask for an early viva (one to two months following submission), the application setting out the reasons for your request must be made using the ‘request for time specific viva’ section of the GSO.3 (Appointment of Examiners) form. You may not request an early viva to take place within a month of submitting your thesis.

Your thesis will only be available to the examiners once both the completed GSO.3 form and their formal acceptance to act as an examiner have been received. Delays often occur by the GSO.3 not arriving promptly with the Research Degrees Team or a failure to elicit a response from the examiners to their invitation.

The regulations stipulate that examiners must have the thesis a minimum of four weeks before the date of the viva. In exceptional circumstances the board may permit a viva to be held earlier but this is not guaranteed. Please  contact your Graduate Studies Assistant  if you wish to enquire about this.

You must present for a viva in academic dress;  sub fusc  and a gown. The gown should be that of your present status (i.e. Student for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy), the gown and hood of the degree held from your own university, or, if you are a University of Oxford graduate, the gown and hood of your University of Oxford degree. Special dispensation may be granted in certain circumstances, for example, health reasons, religious orders and members of the armed services. Please contact the Research Degrees Team for further information on how to apply.

Please do not forget to take a copy of your thesis with you to the viva.

Remote vivas

With the permission of the relevant board (given through the Director of Graduate Studies), vivas may be held with any or all of the candidate and examiners attending remotely via video call. A potential reason for this may be that an examiner or the candidate are based outside the UK, and would be travelling to the UK for the sole purpose of attending the viva. All parties must agree to the viva being held in this format, and further guidance can be found in Annex D of the Policy and Guidance on Research Degrees . Where permission is given for a viva to be held remotely, there is no requirement for the candidate or internal examiner to attend in academic dress.

Viva adjustments

If you wish to make the examiners aware of any illness, disability, or personal circumstance which may affect your performance in the viva, you can make an application for Adjustments to Assessment Arrangements using form  GSO.19 , outlining the requested adjustments and reasons. Adjustments can be requested at any point from offer of a place to submission, at the point of applying for Transfer of Status, at the point of applying for Confirmation of Status or at the point of applying for final viva/appointment of examiners.  The form and related guidance can be found here . Please contact your GSA or departmental graduate administrator if you require more information.

Minor corrections

Your examiners may recommend that you complete minor corrections before they recommend award of the degree. Your examiners will provide you with a list of the required corrections. If you have not received the list of corrections within two weeks of the viva, then you should contact the  Graduate Studies Assistant  for your subject area.

The University expects that these minor corrections will be completed to the satisfaction of your internal examiner within one month of being issued. If, for exceptional reasons, additional time is needed you may apply for an additional one month by submitting a copy of form  GSO.18 . Extension of Time for Completion of Minor or Major Corrections. If you fail to complete your corrections within the time allowed your name will be removed from the Graduate Register and a reinstatement application will be required.

Major corrections and referral 

A ‘major corrections’ option for DPhil examination outcomes give the examiners of research degrees an outcome option midway between minor corrections and referral. Corrections must be made and submitted within six months of the letter confirming the major corrections, although Examination Boards may grant an extension of up to three months on receipt of a GSO.18 form. Where a candidate is required to revise and re-submit their thesis, the revised thesis and, where required, a report indicating the specific changes made must also be submitted via the Research Thesis Digital Submission (RTDS) application.  It is not permitted for a thesis to be submitted directly to the examiners .

Candidates whose thesis is referred will be required to provide at resubmission a separate report indicating the specific changes made to the revised thesis. For students in the Humanities, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences Divisions and the Department for Continuing Education, the word limit for the accompanying report is 1000 words; for students in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, the word limit is 2000 words. The report will act as a guide to how the candidate has addressed examiners’ comments, and will direct examiners to the appropriate sections.

Correction timelines

The outcome types, time limits for changes and report lengths for each of the research degrees are summarised in the tables below.

Doctor of Philosophy

Master of Letters/Master of Science by Research

In all cases, the time limit applies from the date you receive the list of corrections/revisions required.

Examiners do not have the option of recommending an outcome of outright fail on the first attempt for MLitt/MSc(Res) examinations. Students not passing the examination at the first attempt will be entitled to a second attempt.

Re-submitting a thesis

If you are re-submitting your thesis, you are required to pay the re-submission fee (the current fee amounts can be found  here ) when you apply for the appointment of examiners. This fee does not apply to students submitting their thesis for the Review of Major Corrections. The re-submission fee should be paid via the Research Degrees section of the University's  online shop ; this will need to be received before the Research Degrees Team is able to officially log your submission and send your thesis to your examiners.

The revised thesis, and the required report indicating the specific changes made, must be submitted via the Research Thesis Digital Submission (RTDS) application. For students in the Humanities, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences Divisions and the Department for Continuing Education, the word limit for the accompanying report is 1000 words; for students in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division, the word limit is 2000 words. The report will act as a guide to how the candidate has addressed examiners’ comments, and will direct examiners to the appropriate sections.

A fresh Appointment of Examiners form is also required for any resubmission. The report on the first examination will automatically be sent to the examiners of the re-submitted thesis. This is to ensure that the examiners are aware of the background to the revisions that you have made. If you wish to make a case for this not to happen, permission must be sought from the Proctors. You will need to apply in writing via your  Graduate Studies Assistant , stating your reasons, before or at the same time as re-applying for the appointment of examiners.

Deposit of a Library Copy of the Thesis

Students granted leave to supplicate will no longer need to submit a hardbound copy of their thesis to the Examination Schools in order to graduate. This includes any students granted leave to supplicate in previous academic years who have not yet submitted a hard copy of their thesis.

All candidates for the degrees of DPhil, MLitt, MSc by Research and DClinPsych must submit an electronic version of their finalised thesis, as approved by the examiners, to the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA)  following being granted to leave to supplicate. Students for theses degrees must do so a minimum of five working days prior to their graduation date, and will not be able to attend a degree ceremony (even in absentia) without doing so.

Information   regarding this process can be found on the  Oxford Research Archive website  and will be sent with your result letter. Deposit of a copy with the archive is optional for candidates for the degrees of MPhil, Master of Studies in Legal Research (MSt) or Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) in Philosophy.

If submissions remain outstanding, shortly before your degree ceremony you will receive emails reminding you to complete these submissions at least five days in advance of your ceremony. If these submissions are not completed by this time, your name may be removed from the ceremony list.

Dispensation from Consultation of Thesis

Where there are concerns about the thesis being made publicly available online, candidates can apply for dispensation from consultation for part or all of their thesis using form  GSO.3c . Information on this process, and on likely reasons for applying, can be found on the Bodleian website .

Candidates who are granted Dispensation from Consultation on the whole thesis, and on a permanent basis, should, in addition to the finalised copy of the thesis submitted to the Oxford Research Archive, submit a finalised hardbound copy of their thesis for deposit in the relevant university library. This applies to students who have already been granted Dispensation from Consultation, and who have not yet had the opportunity to submit a hard copy of their thesis.

Students whose thesis (or part of the thesis) is in a non-standard format which cannot be submitted electronically (e.g. a 3D artwork, or artefact) should also submit a physical copy for deposit.

Physical copies for those students granted Dispensation from Consultation on a permanent basis should be to submitted to the Bodleian at the North Proscholium, in the Bodleian Library, during library opening hours. More information on this process is available on the  Bodleian LibGuide .

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• Graduate school
• Information for postgraduate research students
• Submitting your thesis

This section contains essential information and guidance for the preparation and submission of your thesis.

Preparation and Submission of your Thesis

IMPORTANT - When preparing your thesis please ensure that you have taken into account any copyright or sensitive content issues, and dealt with them appropriately. 

COVID-19  Additional academic support – Supporting Students to Submission

Additional academic support is available for postgraduate research students impacted by the pandemic. If your research has been disrupted by COVID-19, it will now be possible to have this taken into account in viva examinations.

Tips on planning your thesis

At an early stage you should:

• Prepare a detailed work plan for your research in consultation with your supervisor.
• Build some flexibility into your plan. It is difficult to give general advice about the allocation of time on theory‑oriented projects, because the nature of these is so variable. In the case of experiment‑based research projects, you should normally allow up to six months to write a DPhil thesis, or three to four months for a corresponding MSc by Research thesis.
• Consider attending available skills training courses, for example  Thesis and Report Writing .

It is not advisable to leave all the writing to the end, for several reasons:

• You will need practice at writing over a period of time in order to develop a good style.
• There will inevitably be hold‑ups in experimental work and it is better to use that time to work on part of your thesis, rather than to waste it. If you do some writing earlier the final completion of your thesis will not seem such a daunting task.
• Approaching your submission date will become more stressful than necessary.

About your thesis

The best way to find out what is required for a successful thesis in your subject area is to look at some written in recent years. You should obviously look particularly closely at theses written by previous members of your own research group, which are available in the University library.

The formal requirements for obtaining your degree are set out in detail in the ‘ Examination Regulations ’. The standard required for success in the DPhil examination is defined as follows: that the student present a significant and substantial piece of research, of a kind which might reasonably be expected of a capable and diligent student after three or at most four years of full‑time study in the case of a full-time student, or eight years in the case of a part-time student. For the MSc by Research the standard required is that the candidate should have made a worthwhile contribution to knowledge or understanding of the relevant field of learning after a minimum of one year or two years of full-time study.

Thesis structure - Integrated Thesis

Students applying for confirmation of status in the following departments; Biology (nee Plant Sciences and Zoology) Chemical Biology, Earth Sciences, Engineering Science, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical & Theoretical Chemistry and Statistics can now apply to submit their thesis in an alternative format, as an integrated thesis, including  those registered on the following Doctoral Training programmes: Future Propulsion and Power  CDT, Inorganic Chemistry for Future Manufacturing  CDT, Synthesis for Biology and Medicine  CDT, Theory and Modelling in Chemical Sciences CDT, Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures  CDT.  MSc by Research students in these departments may also apply to do this, and should submit a request direct to the Director of Graduate Studies.

An integrated thesis may either be a hybrid of conventional chapters and high-quality scientific papers, or be fully paper-based. Regardless of the format, the content of the thesis should reflect the amount, originality and level of work expected for a conventional thesis. It should not be assumed that the act of publication (in whatever form) means the work is of suitable academic quality and content for inclusion in a thesis, and students should discuss all papers in detail with their supervisor before including. It would be anticipated that the candidate would be a lead contributor, rather than a minor author, on at least some of the papers in order to consider this format. There is no minimum, or maximum, number of papers a candidate is expected/allowed to include as part of such a thesis and it will remain a matter for the examiners to conclude whether the contributions are equivalent to that which would be expected of a standard DPhil.

Any papers utilised must concern a common subject, constitute a continuous theme and conform to the following guidelines:

 (i) If a candidate for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy wishes to be examined through an integrated thesis (in the departments listed above), they should apply for permission to be examined in this way when they apply for confirmation of status, as detailed in the relevant departmental handbook. A candidate for the Degree of Master of Science by Research should normally apply to the DGS for permission to be examined in this way six months before submitting their papers for examination. To revert to being examined by a conventional thesis rather than an integrated thesis, the candidate must inform their department of the change as detailed in the relevant departmental handbook.

(ii) Work can be included regardless of its acceptance status for publication but candidates may be questioned on the publication status of their work by the examiners.

(iii) Any submitted/published papers should relate directly to the candidate’s approved field of study, and should have been written whilst holding the status of PRS or a student for the MSc (by Research), or DPhil.

(iv) The collection of papers must include a separate introduction, a full literature review, discussion and a conclusion, so that the integrated thesis can be read as a single, coherent document.

(v) The candidate must ensure all matters of copyright are addressed before a paper’s inclusion. A pre-print version of any published papers should be included as standard.

(vi) Joint/multi-authored papers are common in science based subjects and thus acceptable if the candidate can both defend the paper in full and provide a written statement of authorship, agreed by all authors, that certifies the extent of the candidate’s own contribution. A standard template is available for this purpose.

• Download the Statement of Authorship template as a Word document
• View the Statement of Authorship template as a webpage  

The length and scope of theses, including word limits for each subject area in the Division are set out in Departmental guidelines.

In all departments, if some part of the thesis is not solely your work or has been carried out in collaboration with one or more persons, you should also submit a clear statement of the extent of your contribution.

• Download the guidance for submitting an Integrated Thesis as a Word document
• View the guidance for submitting an Integrated Thesis as a webpage

Thesis page and word limits

Several departments place a word limit or page limit on theses. Details can be found in the  Examination Regulations  or  GSO.20a Notes of Guidance for Research Examinations .

Permission to exceed the page and word limits

Should you need to exceed your word/page limit you must seek approval from the Director of Graduate Studies in your department. You and your supervisor must submit a letter/email requesting approval, giving reasons why it is necessary to exceed the limit. This must be sent to the MPLS Graduate Office ( [email protected] ).

Proof-reading

It is your responsibility to ensure your thesis has been adequately proof-read before it is submitted.  Your supervisor may alert you if they feel further proof-reading is needed, but it is not their job to do the proof-reading for you.  You should proof-read your own work, as this is an essential skill in the academic writing process. However, for longer pieces of work it is considered acceptable for students to seek the help of a third party for proof-reading. Such third parties can be professional proof-readers, fellow students, friends or family members (students should bear in mind the terms of any agreements with an outside body or sponsor governing supply of confidential material or the disclosure of research results described in the thesis).   Proof-reading assistance may also be provided as a reasonable adjustment for disability.    Your thesis may be rejected by the examiners if it has not been adequately proof-read.  

See the University’s Policy on the Use of Third Party Proof-readers . The MPLS Division offers training in proof-reading as part of its Scientific Writing training programmes.

Examiners and Submission Dates

You are strongly advised to apply for the appointment of examiners at least four to six weeks before you submit your thesis.

Appointing examiners for your thesis

Approval of the proposed names of examiners rests with the Director of Graduate Studies. Two examiners are normally appointed. It is usual for one of the examiners to be a senior member of Oxford University (the ‘internal examiner’) and the other to be from another research organisation (the ‘external examiner’). The divisional board will not normally appoint as examiners individuals previously closely associated with the candidate or their work, representatives of any organisation sponsoring the candidate’s research, or former colleagues of a candidate. Your supervisor will make suggestions regarding the names of possible examiners. Before doing so, your supervisor must consult with you, in order to find out if you have any special views on the appointment of particular examiners. Your supervisor is also allowed to consult informally with the potential examiners before making formal suggestions. Such informal consultation is usually desirable, and is intended to determine whether the people concerned are willing in principle to act, and if so, whether they could carry out the examination within a reasonable period of time. (For example, there may be constraints if you have to return to your home country, or take up employment on a specific date).

See information on examiner conflicts of interest , under section 7.3.3 Examiners.

What forms do I need to complete?

You will need to complete the online  GSO.3 form. Supervisors complete the section indicating names of the proposed examiners, and they should provide alternatives in case the preferred examiners decline to act.

Timing for appointment of examiners

You are advised to submit your appointment of examiners form in advance of submitting your thesis to avoid delays with your examination process. Ideally you should apply for the appointment of examiners at least 4-6 weeks before you expect to submit your thesis for examination.

There are currently no University regulations requiring examination to take place within a certain time limit after thesis submission. However, your examiners would normally be expected to hold your viva within 3 months. If you need to have your examination sooner than this, you may apply for an early viva , by completing the 'Application for a time specific examination' section on the appointment of examiners form, this section must be endorsed by your supervisor and DGS in addition to their approval in the main body of the form. The request must be made at the time of completing and submitting the appointment of examiners form, it cannot be done after this.

Please bear in mind that the examination date requested must not be earlier than one calendar month after the date on which the thesis has been received by the Research Degrees Team or after the date on which the examiners have formally agreed to act, whichever is the latest. The actual date of the examination will depend primarily on the availability of both examiners. In the Long Vacation, a longer time is normally required. It is therefore essential that you leave sufficient time for your forms to be formally approved, and for your examiners to be formally invited.  If sufficient time has not be given this could impact on your early examination request .

If, for any reason, examiners wish to hold a viva within four weeks of receiving their copy of the thesis, permission must be sought from the Director of Graduate Studies. The internal examiner will need to give details of the proposed arrangement and the reasons for the request. Under no circumstances will a viva be permitted to take place within 14 days of receipt of the thesis by the examiners.

Special considerations

Your supervisor is permitted to indicate to the Director of Graduate Studies if there are any special factors which should be taken into account in the conduct of your examination. For example, a scientific paper may have been produced by another researcher which affects the content of your thesis, but which was published too late for you to take into account. The Director of Graduate Studies will also need to be told of any special circumstances you may require or need to inform your examiners of which may affect your performance in an oral examination, or if any part of your work must be regarded as confidential. The Director of Graduate Studies will then forward (via the Graduate Office), any appropriate information that they think should be provided to the examiners. The Graduate Office will also seek approval from the Proctors Office if required.

Change of thesis title

If during your studies you want to change the title or subject of your thesis, you must obtain the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies using the online form GSO.6 . If you are requesting the change at the time of submitting your thesis, you may do this on the application for appointment of examiners form. A change of title is quite straightforward; it is common for students to begin with a very general title, and then to replace it with a more specific one shortly before submitting their thesis. Providing your supervisor certifies that the new title lies within the original topic, approval will be automatic. A change of the subject of your research requires more detailed consideration, because there may be doubt as to whether you can complete the new project within the original time‑scale.

If following your examination your examiners recommend that your thesis title be changed, you will need to complete a change of thesis title form to ensure that your record is updated accordingly.

From MT19 y ou must submit your digital examiners’ copy of your thesis online, via the Research Thesis Digital Submission (RTDS) portal, no later than the last day of the vacation immediately following the term in which your application for the appointment of examiners was made.   If you fail to submit by this date your application will be cancelled and you will have to reapply for appointment of examiners when you are ready to submit. Y our thesis should not be submitted until your application for confirmation of status has been approved (this applies to DPhil students only) . For MSc by Research students you should ensure that your transfer of status has been completed .

If you are funded on a research council studentship, you will have a recommended end-date before which your thesis must be submitted. If you do not know this date, please consult your supervisor.

Please note that you must not submit copies of your thesis directly to your examiners as this could result in your examinations being declared void and you could be referred to the University Proctors.

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Writing a Thesis or Dissertation

A course for students who are either writing, or preparing to write, a dissertation or thesis for their degree course at oxford, course timetable: trinity term 2024.

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This course is designed for students who are either writing, or preparing to write, a dissertation or thesis for their degree course at Oxford. Each lesson focuses on a different part of the thesis/dissertation/articles (Introductions, Literature Reviews, Discussions etc.), as well as the expected structure and linguistic conventions. Building upon the foundational understanding provided by our other Academic English courses (particularly Introduction to Academic Writing and Grammar, and Key Issues), this course prepares students for the challenges of organising, writing and revising a thesis or dissertation.

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• Gain an understanding of the different organisational structures used within Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences dissertations and theses
• Consider works of previous Oxford students in order to understand the common structural, linguistic and stylistic issues that arise when drafting a research project
• Increase competence in incorporating citations into texts, including choosing appropriate tenses and reporting verbs   
• Learn how to structure the various parts of a dissertation or thesis (Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Conclusion and Abstract)

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All History finalists and some joint-schools students write a 12,000-word thesis on a topic of their own devising. Many undergraduates find this to be the most satisfying work they do in their History degree.

The thesis offers you the opportunity to engage in primary research on a subject of your own devising, and to work out arguments which are entirely your own, not a synthesis of the conclusions of others. It enables you to work as a historical scholar in your own right and to taste the kind of academic work undertaken professionally by your tutors. For those who continue as graduate historians, the thesis will represent a first opportunity to test their abilities as creative and independent researchers, able to define and explore a historical problem on a large scale. For others a successfully accomplished thesis is a clear indication to employers and the outside world that they possess a capacity for organization, selfdiscipline and the ability to structure a substantial and complex piece of research on their own initiative. Some undergraduate theses are so good that they are ready to be published as they stand. But almost all theses give their authors considerable personal satisfaction, and will be looked back on with pride long after the authors have left Oxford and the study of History behind.

Teaching: The Faculty provides an initial lecture on framing a topic in Hilary Term of the second year, and the Thesis Fair early in Trinity Term to help suggest sources from a wide range of fields. At total of five hours of advice from college tutors and a specialist supervisor are permitted across the second and third years.

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Gavin Salam Precision fits for the LHC and beyond Emma Slade (2020) (with Juan Rojo, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) Precision Physics at the Large Hadron Collider Frederic Dreyer (2016) (with Matteo Cacciari, LPTHE, Paris Diderot University) Theoretical & experimental study of electroweak corrections for inclusive production of jets and development of methods for detecting extreme topologies Nicolas Meric (2013)  (with Philippe Schwemling, LPNHE, Paris Diderot University)

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Submitting your thesis to ORA: Home

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This guide relates to the process of depositing theses to the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA).

Students should use this guide to check eligibility to deposit, how to deposit and how to comply with examination regulations.

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The University of Oxford is committed to the dissemination of its research, and in support of this commitment provides ORA. The  Oxford University Research Archive (ORA)  was established in 2007 as a permanent and secure online archive of research materials produced by members of the University of Oxford.

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Members of the ORA team are happy to come to departments to talk about deposit requirements for post-graduate research students, covering topics such as obtaining third-party copyright permissions and funder responsibilities. If you would like to arrange a session then please contact [email protected] .

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Article contents

Black feminist thought and qualitative research in education.

• Kristal Moore Clemons Kristal Moore Clemons Virginia State University
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1194
• Published online: 28 August 2019

Black feminist thought and qualitative research in education is guided by a particular understanding of the learning strategies informed by Black women’s historical experiences with race, gender, and class. Scholars of Black feminist thought remind us of a Black feminist pedagogy that fosters a mindset of intellectual inclusion. Black feminist thought challenges Western intellectual traditions of exclusivity and chauvinism. This article presents a synopsis of the nature and scope of Black feminist thought and qualitative research in education. Further, this article highlights the work of scholars who describe the importance of an Afrocentric methodological approach in the field of education because it offers scholars and practitioners a methodological opportunity to promote equality and multiple perspectives.

• Black feminist thought
• endarked feminist epistemology
• Black feminist pedagogy
• qualitative research
• educational research

How does one understand the “other” when she is the “other” and few have been able to articulate a definition of the “other” that is acceptable to her and from which she can begin the understanding process? Givens and Jeffries ( 2003 )

Introduction

Qualitative research sheds light on understanding in such a way as to guide an increased knowledge about a particular narrative. What matters most is the quality of the insights, not the quantity (Patton, 2002 ). Its multidisciplinary lineage prevents the creation of an umbrella or catch-all definition. Thus, fundamentally, qualitative research is the quest to discover meaning within a particular narrative or story with particular concern to the nuances of the story to deepen meaning and understanding. Qualitative research can be organized in several forms including case study, narrative inquiry, phenomenologically grounded theory, action research, and ethnography. All qualitative research employs a similar data collection process including (in varying degrees) interviews, observation, documents, and audiovisual materials (Creswell & Poth, 2018 ).

It is imperative to understand “research is not an objective endeavor, void of the interrelationships formed and maintained by the researcher and participants” (Givens & Jeffries, 2003 , p. 2). When qualitative research and Black feminist thought come together, we see a methodological practice that works to increase the level of understanding among researchers and participants. Much of the work situated within Black feminist thought and qualitative research highlights the work of Black women qualitative researchers on communities of color and their lived experiences in critical and informative ways. Historically, academics have utilized positivistic methodological approaches that distance researchers from communities and the academy.

Sociologist and architect of Black feminist thought Patricia Hill Collins ( 2000 ) identified four dimensions of an Afrocentric feminist epistemology: (a) lived experience as a criterion of meaning, (b) the use of dialogue to assess knowledge claims, (c) the ethic of caring, and (d) the ethics of personal accountability; all of these aid in helping the researcher understand the interviewee as a participant with agency and history. These four dimensions helped Black women qualitative researchers bridge the disconnect between their personal and professional lives. It also supported them in increasing their understanding of their participants’ lives particularly as it pertained to the intersections of race, class, gender, and other cultural intricacies.

Givens and Jeffries ( 2003 ) crafted the edited volume, Black Women in the Field: Experiences Understanding Ourselves and Others through Qualitative Research , to highlight eight Black women’s experiences and encounters as qualitative researchers. The book provides insight on Black women who work to improve and understand Black communities. Jeffries and Generett remind us, “efforts not to reinscribe the ideals and thoughts perpetuated by positivist methodical approaches lead Black women to choose alternative epistemologies to describe knowledge and experience. Qualitative research, unlike more positivist methodologies provide a means for researchers to critique and improve this process” (Givens & Jeffries, 2003 , p. 4).

Further, Dillard ( 2016 ) offers a broader understanding of a global Black feminist thought that is centered upon what she describes as “research as responsibility.” She provides a unique context to deepen our understanding of an endarkened feminist epistemology as “a catalyst for thinking about a vision/version of feminisms that, for diasporic Black women, might open a way to (re)member our identities, lives, and work as Black women” (Dillard, p. 406). Black feminist epistemology and endarkened feminist epistemology support researchers in what Dillard ( 2016 ) describes as a

move away from the traditional metaphor of research as recipe to fix some problem to a metaphor that centers reciprocity and relationship between the researcher or teacher and those who, in that moment, are engaged in the research or teaching with us. (Dillard, 2016 , p. 407)

Black and endarkened feminism call for researchers to think about the ways in which we can build upon what Noblit, Flores, and Murillo ( 2004 ) have called postcritical ethnographic research. Postcritical ethnography contributes to emancipatory knowledge and revolves around a discourse of social justice. This work pushes qualitative researchers to make the move from “what is” to “what could be” (Noblit et al., 2004 ; Thomas, 1993 ). The aim is to address the process of unfairness no matter the lived domain. To do this effectively, positionality is key. Noblit et al. ( 2004 , p. 157) asked, “What difference does it make when the ethnographer comes from a history of colonization and disenfranchisement?” Much of the Black feminist thought and qualitative research work on race, gender, and social class have forced researchers to unpack their positionality around their own power and privilege as researchers in the academy.

A Review of the Dimensions of Black Feminist Thought

In Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment Collins ( 2000 ) described the importance of an Afrocentric methodological approach. Collins wrote:

I knew that when an individual Black woman’s consciousness concerning how she understands her everyday life undergoes change, she can become empowered. Such consciousness may stimulate her to embark on a path of personal freedom, even if it exists primarily in her own mind. If she is lucky enough to meet others who are undergoing similar journeys, she and they can change the world around them. (Collins, 2000 , p. x)

The act of sharing one’s story and drawing a connection to other Black women who have similar experiences is powerful and can aid the understanding of the many challenges people face. Moreover, the “Afrocentric feminist methodology validates the experience, dialogical knowledge, caring, and accountability that may exist within a Black female academic philosophy” (Givens & Jefferies, 2003 , p. 4). Black feminist theory offers insight to a complex history of Black women’s work and activism.

In linking Patricia Hill Collins’s definition of Black feminist theory to conducting fieldwork one must also review standpoint theory. Black feminist theory comes out of standpoint theory, a feminist materialism that enables us to expand the Marxian critique of capitalism to include all of human activity, especially the activity of women (Collins, 2000 ; Hartsock, 1983 ). In Feminist Methods in Social Research , Reinharz ( 1992 , p. 251) stated, “At the heart of much feminist research is the goal, even the obligation of taking action and bringing about social change in the condition of women.” Feminist research aims to give voice to the invaluable, but all too often, the experiences of women of color are overlooked. As a result, Black feminist thought works to create a space where Black women can share their experiences and contributions as educators and activists. When researchers utilize Black feminist thought, their work illustrates how Black women activists are Black women theorists and producers of knowledge.

Black feminist core themes of work, family, sexual politics, motherhood, and political activism rely on paradigms that emphasize the importance of intersecting oppression in shaping the U.S. matrix of domination (Collins, 2000 , p. 251). The four dimensions of Black feminist epistemology shape one’s role as a qualitative researcher: (a) lived experience as a criterion of meaning, (b) the use of dialogue to assess knowledge claims, (c) the ethic of caring, and (d) the ethic of personal accountability all aid in helping researchers understand the interviewee as a participant with agency and history. The first dimension, “lived experiences as a criterion of meaning,” situates the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Here, Collins ( 2000 ) gave the example of Sojourner Truth’s statement, “look at my arm, I’ve ploughed and planted. . . . Ain’t I a woman?” She situated Truth and other Black women as “connected-knower[s]” because of their lived experiences and unique voice to address societal issues. This is vitally important for Black women because not only have Black women developed a distinctive Black women’s standpoint, but Black women have done so by using alternative ways of producing and validating knowledge (Collins, 2000 , p. 252).

The second dimension of a Black feminist epistemology addresses “the use of dialogue.” This implies talk between two subjects, not the speech of subject and object. Collins ( 2000 ) noted that this humanizing speech challenges and resists domination. Rather than believing that research can be value-free, Collins ( 2000 ) argued that all knowledge is intrinsically value-laden and should thus be tested for the presence of empathy and compassion. Collins’s third dimension of Black feminist epistemology (2000) implies that knowledge is built around an ethic of caring. Collins argued that the presence of emotion validates the argument. “Emotion indicates that a speaker believes in the validity of an argument” ( 2000 , p. 263). The “ethic of caring” implies talking with the heart; appropriateness with emotions, because emotion indicates that the speaker believes in the validity of the argument; and capacity for empathy (Collins, 2000 , p. 266). For Collins, the ethics of care can bridge the binary breakdown between the intellect and emotion that Eurocentric knowledge values.

The “ethic of personal accountability” is the fourth dimension, and it demands one to be accountable for their personal knowledge claims. Knowledge claims made by individuals respected for the moral and ethical connections to their ideas will weigh more than those offered by less respected figures. In addition, ideas cannot be divorced from the individuals who create and share them. Collins examines exactly what Black feminist theory is and how it began to offer an alternative way of knowing. Black feminist thought coupled with an education project can challenge the status quo particularly as it pertains to students, teachers, school leaders, and policy-makers. Research, with a Black feminist thought and education thesis, focuses on Collins’s four dimensions—articulate themes of survival as a form of resistance, critical discourses within the history of education, and pedagogical foundations rooted in Black women’s activism and Black feminist pedagogy.

Black feminist thought and qualitative research encourage partnerships to be formed with participants who work to initiate dialogue as they begin to remember instances and give meaning to their experiences past and present. Feminist research methods are concerned with social justice, dismantling power structures, recognizing that women experience oppression and exploitation, and that experience varies based on race, class, sexual orientation, ability, etc. (Reinharz, 1992 ). When linking Black feminist theory to conducting fieldwork, researchers become equally as concerned with the research process as they are with the data they are collecting. Black feminist theory is critical social theory, and from this a researcher can craft a research methodology that aims to uncover the subjugated voices of their communities.

Black Feminist Thought and Positionality

Positionality has its roots in feminist literature and allows researchers to clearly identify the lens through which they interpret the social world. How one conducts fieldwork, how one codes the data, and one’s rapport with participants are extremely important. When utilizing Black feminist thought as a methodological technique, researchers recognize this as a political stance. There is a commitment to making sure the work is self-reflexive. Researchers must answer personally and professionally: “what’s my investment in this research?” or as Alice Walker puts it, “what is the work my soul must have?” Madison ( 2005 ) wrote extensively on positionality and stressed the importance of being vulnerable, transparent to judgement and evaluation. When engaging in Black feminist thought, scholars have to have a comfortable relationship with theory. By comfortable, this means that, even in the midst of struggle and confusion, the researcher must commit to wrestling with uncomfortable ideas. One may constantly struggle in the field with what they thought things were and what they found things to actually be upon completing the research. This means scholars who utilize Black feminist thought are constantly reflecting on their historical understandings of various ideas and navigating their privilege when making meaning of their findings.

Many texts fully engage and challenge how identity impacts one’s professional life as a qualitative researcher. In Oral Narrative Research with Black Women: Collecting Treasures , Vaz ( 1997 ) began with “Why conduct oral narrative research with African and African American women?” This research method “allows the unique knowledge domains of Black women to come into full view” (Vaz, 1997 , p. vii). Vaz ( 1997 ) worked with several Black women personal narrative researchers and commented on the strategies they have found helpful when writing about the experiences of Black women. Methodological information about conducting oral narrative research from this standpoint is rare. When Black women interview other Black women, the notion of “insider privilege” is negotiated. Researchers tease out the nuances of what it means to be from the same racialized community. This experience of understanding “the other” when one is “the other” can be challenging and force researchers to be more self-reflexive about their projects (Groves, 2003 ). In an effort to “make the familiar strange,” “Black women researchers must consider the places we were reared, our gender, race, class, and ability, along with other interrelated factors that play a crucial role in developing and shaping our experiences and the experiences of our participants” (Givens & Jeffries, 2003 , p. 3). While one may think they know what their participants would potentially say, one must carefully ask each question and get the participants to explicitly comment about their lives and work as Black women.

Qualitative researchers who utilize Black feminist thought are challenged to organize a legitimate piece of work that could celebrate the work of women in their communities, function as a critical ethnographic piece that is not exploitative, and promote the further emancipation of Black women. Sophia Villenas ( 1996 , p. 713) reminded us, “we are both the colonized and colonizer, marginalized by the academy yet using the resources and tools of the academy to write about our own communities and, even more intimately, our own lived experiences.” Qualitative researchers who utilize Black feminist thought typically make themselves available for their participants if they need any assistance. They work to remain conscious throughout the entire process of their positionality. They develop a rapport with each participant, fostering them through various modes of communication. There is a keen understanding that “research is not an objective endeavor, void of the interrelationships formed and maintained by the researcher and participants” (Givens & Jeffries, 2003 , p. 2). As a result of this phenomenon, a kinship is developed with the text, the participants, and the mission to create a research project that would aid in the development of a better understanding of Black communities.

Black Feminist Thought and Data Collection and Analysis

There is no single right way to analyze qualitative data (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996 , p. 2). Many compile archival data chronologically to situate any historical context. Relevant documents provide context to the educational and community organizing experience of participants. Document analysis in qualitative research makes use of excerpts or entire passages from journals, personal diaries, correspondence and memoranda, and official publications (Merriam, 1998 ). When researchers fluent in Black feminist thought conduct qualitative research, they think critically about the interview processes. Many times, the interviewees will select the time and location, making it comfortable and accommodating for the participant. Researchers fluent in Black feminist thought also remain diligent about recognizing their positionality as it helps them build a rapport with their participant that began with the need to collect data but ends with a commitment to honor the particularities of the stories to which they are privileged to gain access.

Coding is an essential part of data analysis that allows researchers to identify salient themes and patterns. According to Coffey and Atkinson ( 1996 , p. 27), “in practice, coding can be thought of as a range of approaches that aid the organization, retrieval, and interpretation of data.” Many researchers fluent in Black feminist thought approach coding by employing in vivo coding, sociologically constructed coding, and open coding. Open coding is identified as an “open” process because it allows the researcher to engage in exploration of data without making any prior assumptions about what the researcher might discover. In vivo coding “refers to the codes that derive from the terms and the language used by social actors in the field, or in the course of the interviews” (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996 , p. 32). In vivo coding coupled with Black feminist thought allows the researcher to inductively engage with the participant’s narrative. On the other hand, sociologically constructed coding allows the researcher “to identify themes, patterns, events, and actions that are of interest and that provide a means of organizing data sets” (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996 , p. 32).

Black feminist thought and qualitative research in education positions data analysis as a process of organizing, interpreting, and producing stories that generate reflexivity. According to Coffey and Atkinson ( 1996 ), “narratives have rather specific, distinct structures with formal and identifiable properties” (p. 57). People who work within this field are in turn the interpreters, evaluators, and producers of stories. Bhattacharya ( 2016 ) provides critical insight on how vulnerable personal narratives demonstrate how de/colonizing and microaggressive discourses intersect in higher education in the United States. She argued that vulnerability offers a means of reconceptualizing and rethinking possibilities for addressing social inequities in higher education. Researchers use narrative to frame understandings of people, culture, and change, and to address social and cultural phenomena without reducing the phenomena to isolated variables. As a result of this understanding, Black feminist thought can be used as both a methodological tool and a framework for analyzing the data.

Reciprocity, Research Trustworthiness, and Black Feminist Thought

Alridge ( 2003 ) named the dilemmas and challenges of objectivity, voice, agency, and presentism encountered by African American educational historians whose research focuses on the education of African Americans. Similarly, Collins ( 2000 ) noted that Black women run the risk of “being discredited as being too subjective and hence less scholarly” (p. 19). Alridge ( 2003 ) argued the “double consciousness” African American scholars face within the academy may be transcended by using solid and innovative conceptual and methodological approaches (Alridge, p. 25). Black feminist thought, when implemented with fidelity, serves this need. Scholars of color often reconcile this dilemma by actively recognizing their race, sexuality, gender, and class as tools that shape their identity as a researcher.

For Glesne ( 2006 ), reciprocity can have a therapeutic effect on the interview process. She wrote, “What specifically is therapeutic about the interview process is the unburdening effect of the respondents saying safely whatever they feel. . . . The therapeutic dimension of a good interview is part of what [I] return to [my] participants” (p. 85). Similarly, Patton ( 2002 ) also found that giving participants recordings of the interview and transcripts was a way to continue family legacies. He wrote, “Participants in research provide us with something of great value, their stories and their perspectives on their world. We show that we value what they give us by offering something in exchange” (p. 415). The words of Patton ( 2002 ) and Glesne ( 2006 ) resonate with scholars and challenge them to think about the reciprocal aspects of research. This type of research provides examples of the multiplicity represented in the world that has been silenced and neglected by traditional research methods. Investigating the subjugated knowledge of subordinate groups—in this case a Black woman’s standpoint and Black feminist thought—requires more ingenuity than is needed to examine the standpoints and thoughts of dominant groups (Collins, 2000 , p. 252). This is in part because subordinate groups have long had to use alternative ways to create independent self-definitions and self-valuations of themselves. The rendering of multiple realities in research ignites a greater sense of reciprocity among participant and researcher.

Glesne ( 2006 ) stated that validity is an issue we should consider “during research design as well in the midst of data collection” (p. 35). She listed several verification procedures one can employ to address the issue of research validity. The procedure researchers use most often is member checking. Glesne ( 2006 ) described member checking as “sharing interview transcripts, analytical thoughts, and/or drafts of the final report with research participants to make sure you are representing them and their ideas accurately” (p. 36). Member checking help researchers verify the trustworthiness of their data collection and analysis.

Black Feminist Thought and Qualitative Research in Education in Action

What follows is a review of relevant works that have utilized Black feminist thought and qualitative research in education. Waters's, We Can Speak for Ourselves (2016), is a multifaceted analysis of the ways in which one might think about Black mothers. Negative portrayals of Black mothers continue to permeate throughout film, music, and other forms of media. Black women are often over-sexualized and under-intellectualized in academic scholarship. The majority of American society holds onto and reproduces negative images about Black women. These controlling images perpetuate Black women’s oppression. We Can Speak for Ourselves pushes back and highlights the various levels of agency Black mothers possess to move forward. This work builds on early Black feminist writings (Collins, 1998 ; Giddings, 1984 ; hooks, 1984 ) and is in conversation with new work in the field of motherhood studies and women’s studies that looks at “motherhood as praxis, institution, and lived experience” (Story, 2014 ). This book highlights the grave conditions facing Black mothers and articulates a new viewpoint of Black women’s lives and capabilities. There is an imperative nature to this book as it is a call to action. We Can Speak for Ourselves articulates Black mothers’ engagement in acts of resistance to sustain their lives and build communities. Through personal narrative interviews, this qualitative study gives voice to Black women who are grappling with the work of being a mother. Situated in Chicago, these stories add to the scholarship on the work of Black mothers and force readers to engage in a dialogue that recognizes the contributions of Black women’s community activism through time and space. This work provides a unique historical analysis of controlling images of Black mothers alongside a sophisticated analysis of contemporary issues in popular culture that work for and against Black mothers. The work also challenges the general public’s assumptions about Black mother work and the preconceived notions about their to parenting, “othermothering,” and the overall care for their children.

Next, Dillard’s 2016 work, entitled “Turning the Ships Around: A Case Study of (Re)Membering as Transnational Endarkened Feminist Inquiry and Praxis for Black Teachers” argued that an endarkened feminist epistemology (EFE) articulates how reality is known when based in the historical roots of global Black feminist thought. This work focuses on a young Black woman teacher from the southern part of the United States. Dillard examined how this teacher’s engagement with Africa and African knowledges, culture, and womanhood in Ghana transformed her ability to respond in culturally relevant ways in her teaching of Black children. This work specifically links how encounters with the African continent and people can transform teaching and learning and teachers’ lives. She builds upon critical feminist scholarship including but not limited to Collins ( 2000 ), Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment ; Mohanty, Russo, and Torres ( 1991 ), Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism ; Alexander ( 2005 ), Pedagogies of Crossing: Meditations on Feminism, Sexual Politics, Memory, and the Sacred ; and hooks ( 1993 ), Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery . Dillard ( 2016 ) reminded us of the intersection/overlap of the culturally constructed socializations of race, gender, nation, and other identities, and the historical and contemporary contexts of oppressions and resistance for African heritage women.

A critical point in Dillard’s 2016 work comes when she articulates how, in an endarkened feminist epistemological space, one is encouraged to move away from the traditional metaphor of research as recipe to fix some problem to a metaphor that centers on reciprocity and relationship between the researcher or teacher and those who, in that moment, are engaged in the research or teaching with us. She reminds us that this is a more useful research metaphor. Dillard ( 2016 ) wrote, “The distinction being made between spirituality and the sacred is important here. Many Black feminist and feminist researchers of color suggest that spirituality is to have a consciousness of the realm of the spirit in one’s work and to recognize that consciousness as a transformative force in research and teaching” (Dillard, p. 407). When researchers understand research as responsibility, the work becomes answerable and obligated to the very persons and communities being engaged in the inquiry. This particular work of cultural memory, spirituality, and sacredness in endarkened feminist epistemological space honors the wisdom and spirituality of the transnational Black woman’s ways of knowing and being in inquiry.

Evans-Winters and Love's edited volume, entitled Black Feminism in Education: Black Women Speak Up and Speak Out (2015) , explores the impact of race, gender, and culture on education through the lens of Black feminist thought and endarkened feminist epistemology. This text is divided into three sections: (a) Black feminist and intellectual spiritual pursuits, (b) Black feminism in educational research, and (c) responsibility for who and what is a Black feminist educator. This book examines the intersection of race, gender, culture, power, privilege, and interlocking systems of oppression. This unique collection of scholarship forces readers to think about new methodologies, new pedagogies, and new theoretical frameworks when thinking about Black feminist thought in higher education. The contributors to the volume analyze the dimensions of being Black and woman in academia. More specifically, the text highlights some of the personal and professional challenges Black female students, educators, leaders, and activists face that are related to resilience, humanity, spirituality, and academic/professional pursuits.

Davis ( 2009 ) utilized Black feminist thought as a lens to examine the mentoring experiences of Black women in graduate and professional schools. Davis wrote, “the findings are central to placing Black women at the center of their own realities as students in graduate and professional schools and support the importance of mentoring among African American women as a method of empowerment and uplift in the academy” (Davis, 2009 , p. 531). The linkages she made between what the participants shared, and the distinguishing features of Black feminist thought highlight the need for more mentoring opportunities for Black women. She cautions institutions of higher education to play close attention to the fact that establishing mentoring relationships is difficult. This is particularly the case when thinking about mentorship and Black women. Further, in some of her more recent work, Davis ( 2017 ) articulated how the conceptual underpinnings of Black feminism serve as a leading theoretical lens for understanding the intersections of race, gender, class, ability, sexuality, and citizenship for Black females. In a lecture given at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign entitled “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Black Woman’s Blueprint for Institutional Transformation in Higher Education,” Davis reminded the audience that despite Black women’s high achievement, Black female collegians and academics routinely have their ways of knowing when they are devalued as a result of the myriad of ways institutionalized oppression manifests thought racism and sexism. The use of Black feminist thought helps make sense of these challenges and provides a critical record of these challenges through various historical moments.

This article began with the assertion that Black feminist thought and qualitative research in education is guided by a particular understanding of the learning strategies informed by Black women’s historical experiences with the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Through the examination of the work of scholars fluent in a methodological practice rooted in the tenets of Black feminist thought and endarkened feminist epistemology, we see the work of Black women is legitimized in new ways. Audre Lorde ( 2007 ) reminded us that to “examine Black women's literature effectively requires that we be seen as whole people in our actual complexities—as individuals, as women, as human—rather than as one of those problematic but familiar stereotypes provided in this society in place of genuine images of Black women” (Lorde, 2007 , p. 117). Black women’s narratives can be utilized in such a way where we see “whole people in our actual complexities.” This means employing a methodological approach that validates the lived experiences and particularities of Black women researchers, scholars, participants.

Bibliography

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Related Articles

• Critical Race Theory
• Interviews and Interviewing in the Ethnography of Education
• Qualitative Approaches to Studying Marginalized Communities
• Writing Educational Ethnography
• Qualitative Data Analysis and the Use of Theory

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Love’s Knowledge: Essays on Philosophy and Literature

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This volume brings together Martha Nussbaum's published papers, some revised for this collection, on the relationship between literature and philosophy, especially moral philosophy. It also includes two new essays and a substantial Introduction. The papers, many of them previously not readily available to non-specialist readers, explore such fundamental issues as the relationship between style and content in the exploration of ethical questions; the nature of ethical attention and ethical knowledge and their relationship to written forms and style; and the role of the emotions in deliberation and self-knowledge. The author investigates and defends a conception of ethical understanding which involves emotional as well as intellectual activity, and which gives a certain type of priority to the perception of particular people and situations rather than to abstract rule.

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Bodleian History Faculty Library at Oxford

A bodleian libraries blog.

History Thesis Fair for undergraduates on Thurs 25 April (week 1): explore – discover – meet specialists

We are delighted to run the History Thesis Fair for second-year undergraduates this year on THURS 25 APRIL 2024 2-4pm, Exam Schools .

The Fair is an excellent opportunity for students to gain a wider perspective on the wealth and riches of research sources available for your field of study.

At the Fair you can learn about resources you may not yet have yet considered and meet the curators of collections who can guide you towards relevant material or useful finding tools.

30 stalls will cover many areas:

• Archives & manuscripts
• College Libraries (Special Collections) & College Archives’ Collections
• Early Printed Books
• Oxford Brookes University Special Collections and Archives
• Oxfordshire History Centre
• UK Government and International Intergovernmental Publications
• Economic & Social History
• Digital Scholarship
• LGBTQ, Gender & Sexuality
• History of Science & Medicine
• Visual culture
• Africa & Commonwealth
• East Asia & South Asia
• Eastern Europe and Russia
• Great Britain & West Europe
• Middle East, Hebrew & Judaica, Caucausus & Central Asia
• Latin America
• United States

You will also have an opportunity to speak to other students who have previously written dissertations and learn about their TOP 10 TIPS .

At our Information Skills stall, learn what courses are laid on to help you develop the skills you will need.

The format of the Fair encourages you to explore and discover new materials at your own pace , to be curious , to network and to make connections to experts and their peers while also learning about creative use of sources in Digital Scholarship.

Accessibility

The main entrance to the Examination Schools is stepped. There is a ramped entrance immediately to the left of the main entrance. There is lift access throughout the building, two wheelchair accessible toilets and hearing support systems that can be deployed where needed throughout the building. Most areas of the building have level access.

The accessible toilet is gender neutral and is at the bottom of the staircase opp. Room 8.

If you have any queries, please email [email protected] .

Get yourself kitted out for your research 

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Doing research on your thesis also means that you will need to learn new skills , deepening your knowledge of resources and sources and how to go about locating and using them.

To help you on this exciting journey, the library has organised a series of talks, classes, and workshops which are designed to

• Upskill your information searching and research skills;
• Learn about the rich sources available to them in Oxford (and beyond) and know how to access them;
• Learn how to handle the material, incl. archives, correct citation practices, ethical research practice, etc.;
• Get to know relevant experts in Oxford libraries and archives.

Check out the classes and workshops set up for you to help you learn the skills you will need.

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Seamus O'Malley, "Irish Culture and 'The People': Populism and Its Discontents" (Oxford UP, 2022‪)‬ New Books in Literary Studies

Seamus O’Malley is an associate professor at Yeshiva University. His first book was Making History New: Modernism and Historical Narrative (Oxford University Press, 2015). He has co-edited three volumes, one of essays on Ford Madox Ford and America (Rodopi, 2010), a research companion to Ford (Routledge, 2018) and a volume of essays on the cartoonists Julie Doucet and Gabrielle Bell (Mississippi, 2018). He is the chair of the Ford Madox Ford Society and co-chair of the Columbia University Seminar for Irish Studies. In this interview he discusses his new book, Irish Culture and "The People": Populism and Its Discontents (Oxford UP, 2022), a study of the rhetoric of populism and uses of the seemingly simple concept “The People” in Irish political and literary discourse. Irish Culture and ‘The People’ argues that populism has been a shaping force in Irish literary culture. Populist moments and movements have compelled authors to reject established forms and invent new ones. Sometimes, as in the middle period of W.B. Yeats's work, populism forces a writer into impossible stances, spurring ever greater rhetorical and poetic creativity. At other times, as in the critiques of Anna Parnell or Myles na gCopaleen, authors penetrate the rhetoric fog of populist discourse and expose the hollowness of its claims. Yet in both politics and culture, populism can be a generative force.  Daniel O'Connell, and later the Land League, utilized populist discourse to advance Irish political freedom and expand rights. The most powerful works of Lady Gregory and Ernie O'Malley are their portraits of The People that borrows from the populist vocabulary. While we must be critical of populist discourse, we dismiss it at our loss. This study synthesizes existing scholarship on populism to explore how Irish texts have evoked "The People"--a crucial rhetorical move for populist discourse--and how some writers have critiqued, adopted, and adapted the languages of Irish populisms. Aidan Beatty is a lecturer in the history department at Carnegie Mellon University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

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