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Applications are invited for a Warwick Collaborative Postgraduate Research Scholarship (WCPRS)commencing autumn 2012 on: “Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Asian Textiles in Europe and North America”This 3-year PhD award is part of a collaboration between the Global History &#38; Culture Centre, Department ofHistory, University of Warwick and the Centre for Textile Research at the University of Copenhagen.The aim of the PhD project is to examine the significance of Indian and Chinese silk textiles in the economy and culture of Britain and its colonial markets vis-à-vis French or Dutch or Scandinavian markets.The project addresses three interrelated issues: the East India Companies’ trade with India and the rest of Asia; colonial trade; and new consumption patterns for Asian textiles in Europe and  North America. The project includes engagement with written archival materials as well as with artefacts in public museums and private collections in Europe, North America and India.The PhD will be jointly supervised by Prof. Giorgio Riello (Department of History, University of Warwick) and Prof. Marie Louise Nosch (Centre for Textile Research (CTR) Copenhagen). The Centre for Textile Research(CTR) at the University of Copenhagen is one of the leading research institutions in Europe for the study of the history of textiles and dress. Marie Louise Nosch was its founder and has directed it since 2006. Giorgio Riello is part of Warwick’s Global History and Culture Centre (GHCC).GHCC is Britain’s first research centre for the study of global history and over the years has developed several research projects on material culture.Since 2010, Giorgio Riello has been the Director of the Pasold Research Fund.This PhD will be a major contribution to the fields of global history, history of trade, material culture and textile history. It addresses in particular the following questions in a comparative way:How did imported Indian and other Asian textiles (especially silks) influence British and European material culture and textile consumption in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries?What role did the trade in Indian textiles play in political decisions relating to colonial expansion and investments?How and in what ways were Asian textiles an important commodity in the trade to North America andother parts of the Atlantic World?How were British and French imitations of Indian textiles perceived by European and colonial consumers?The Warwick Collaborative Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme was launched in October 2008. It is nowsupporting a number of students who are funded through a combination of institutional funds and contributions from business and industry.Applications are welcome from Students from the UK and the EU. The Award covers the cost of home/EU fees (currently at £3,900 for home/EU students) and provides £12,840 a year maintenance.To apply, please send your CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the project and detailing the ways in which you plan to address the themes above: to Giorgio Riellog.riello@warwick.ac.uk. Your application should be accompanied by an email from your MA supervisor or other academic acquainted with your university career to be sent to the same address. The deadline is the 15 July 2012.Informal inquiries should be made to: Professor Giorgio Riello (g.riello@warwick.ac.uk) or Professor Marie Louise Nosch (nosch@hum.ku.dk).