Postgraduate Support
ABIL is committed to supporting scholars in the field of Lusophone Studies at every stage of their academic careers, a task that begins at the postgraduate level. Engaging postgraduate students and encouraging their full participation in the Association is one of our central objectives.
ABIL postgraduate research students enjoy a 50% reduction in membership costs, paying £10 per year.
The Association puts special emphasis on supporting PG participation at our biannual conference, encouraging students to present a paper or propose a panel.
In order to facilitate PG attendance and participation, we offer generous financial support packages to students giving papers, along with significant reductions in conference fees.
For the upcoming conference in Edinburgh in September, we are offering a number of PGR studentships which will go towards travel and accommodation costs.
Postgraduate students are welcomed to engage with ABIL at the organizational level by attending our Annual General Meeting, held every two years during the conference. Representation of postgraduate interests in committee decision-making is ensured by the PGR representative position.
Other Organisations of interest to ABIL postgraduates:
The Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland (AHBGI)
The AHBGI offers postgraduate taught and research students discounted membership, competitive bursaries to enable PG attendance at their annual conference and at other related conferences, and travel grants to facilitate fieldwork abroad in Hispanic and Lusophone countries. In addition, the organisation awards annual prizes for outstanding doctoral theses published in the fields of Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian cultural studies.
In collaboration with WISPS, the AHGBI offers a mentoring scheme for PG students seeking academic careers, and supports the Dorothy Sherman-Severin Early Career Fellowship (see below).
The AHGBI website includes regularly updated lists of Calls for Papers, studentships, and academic jobs, which are also circulated on their mailing list.
Women in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (WISPS)
WISPS offers reduced membership and conference fees for PG students.
For women students specifically, the organisation provides competitive bursaries to facilitate attendance at their annual conference, and a mentoring scheme.
The organisation holds an annual study day designed for postgraduate students and early career researchers, with a reduced fee for PG attendees.
The Dorothy Sherman-Severin Early Career Fellowship, established by WISPS and AHGBI, is awarded annually to a UK- or Ireland-based early career researcher in the fields of Hispanic and Lusophone studies. The fellowship offers financial support toward research costs, alongside a structured mentoring and career development programme.
The WISPS mailing list regularly circulates jobs, students, conferences, and other opportunities of interest to its members.
Society for Latin American Studies (SLAS) and Postgraduates in Latin American Studies (PILAS)
SLAS provides grants for PG students to attend non-UK conferences, as well as bursaries for PGs giving papers at the SLAS annual conference. The organisation also offers fieldwork travel grants for PG students, and financial support for all members seeking to organise conferences and workshops in the field of Latin American studies.
PILAS is the dedicated postgraduate arm of SLAS, and arranges study days, workshops, and an annual postgraduate conference.
Association for Contemporary Iberian Studies (ACIS)
ACIS offers a reduced membership fee for postgraduate students, and bursaries to enable postgraduate attendance at their conference. They also publish a regular newsletter.
H-Luso-Africa
H-Luso-Africa is an online forum and mailing list dedicated to the study of Lusophone Africa. The list welcomes postgraduate participation and is a great resource for crowdsourcing answers to research questions, hunting down and sharing rare texts and materials, and identifying contacts and accommodation for fieldwork in Lusophone Africa. Academic jobs, conferences, and recent publications in the field are regularly circulated.