The LSE ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership is pleased to offer the following Collaborative Studentship, commencing in September 2026:
Project Title: Planting Decolonization: Plantation Science and Empire in the Twentieth Century
Collaborative Partner: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
LSE Department: Department of Geography and Environment
Lead Supervisor: Dr. Kasia Paprocki (K.Paprocki@lse.ac.uk)
Project Description: Decolonisation, the process by which colonies gained independence in the mid-twentieth century, was a global process which led to self-governance, but did not stop European empires from exerting informal control over former colonies. Nor did it redistribute the considerable material, intellectual, and political resources accumulated by imperial authorities at the expense of colonies. This historical geography invites several questions: What are the limits of decolonisation in a context of enduring empires? How far did colonial plantation production endure/transform after decolonisation? With what effects? How can these be connected to contemporary legacies?
The proposed research focuses on the durability of plantation economies in the aftermath of decolonisation, viewed through global scientific networks spanning the United Kingdom and its former colonies. While scientists at Kew in the age of empire played an important role in informing and shaping plantation production in the colonies, what happened to these networks of knowledge exchange after formal decolonisation, and what were the implications for agrarian cultivation and cultivators?
In recent years, scholars have taken up the “Plantationocene” as a lens through which to understand our planetary present. As an alternative to the “Anthropocene,” which attributes responsibility for our contemporary planetary crises to humanity as a whole, the Plantationocene directs attention instead to extractive patterns of plantation cultivation that emerged during the colonial period, the racialized violence they produced and depended on, and the radically unequal global political economy they shaped. Most importantly, the topic directs attention to the durabilities of the violence and patterns of land enclosure that have persisted long after formal decolonisation. The proposed research will illuminate the conditions that gave rise to this durability.
Empirically, the research will leverage as yet under-examined archival materials at Kew to examine a range of questions about the production of scientific knowledge in this critical moment of historical transformation. It will draw on correspondence between Kew scientists and post-colonial Agricultural Research Stations as well as private industrial bodies such as the Empire Cotton Growers’ Association to understand the role of private enterprise in lobbying for science that would support the extension of plantation production, and in turn how that lobbying was translated into knowledge shared with agents of agricultural extension in former colonies. This innovative engagement with archival data will also provide glimpses into cultivators’ ideas and practices that diverged from plantation production. The alternatives to the durabilities of the Plantationocene are an important aspect of the research project.
Interested applicants will be welcome to shape their individual research based on their own research interests thematically and geographically. Supervisors will work with students to refine their research topic and design after commencement of their studies. We welcome students with an interest or background in studying these questions from the perspective of political ecology, critical agrarian studies, global, colonial and post-colonial history, and related disciplines. We welcome innovative methodologies, including but not limited to intersectional approaches.
The successful applicant will be based in the Department of Geography and Environment and co-supervised by faculty in that department and the LSE’s Department of International History, along with staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. They will have the opportunity to participate in student enrichment activities at Kew, such as specialist training, and public engagement.
Length of studentship:The studentship will commence in September 2026, with a duration of 3.5 years.
Value of studentship: LSE ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership Collaborative Studentships cover full fees and an annual stipend. The stipend per year for 2025/26 entry was £22,780
Candidate Requirements: Candidates must have already completed a Master’s degree in a related subject (e.g. Geography, History, Anthropology, or Sociology) and have experience of field-based and/or archival research gained through study or working experience.
How to apply: Suitably qualified candidates should make an application via MPhil/PhD Human Geography and Urban Studies. Instead of submitting a research proposal, you should clearly cite the Collaborative Studentship project title and outline your suitability for the Studentship within the 'statement of academic purpose' section of your application, directly addressing the project description above. Please note this will only constitute an application for admission for the Collaborative Studentship.
If you would also like to be considered for general admission to this programme, please include a separate research proposal with your application, which meets the criteria for this programme as set out on the programme page.
Deadline for applications: 14 January 2026
Enquiries regarding the application process should directed to Pam Rolfe, Deputy Head of Scholarships and Financial Support (p.rolfe@lse.ac.uk)