The Sainsbury Research Unit (SRU), based in the Sainsbury Centre at UEA, is a centre for the study of the arts and material culture of Africa, the Pacific region and the Americas.
It has six permanent academic faculty supported by library and administrative staff. Visiting fellows, research associates and postdoctoral researchers working on special projects also contribute to the academic life of the SRU.
It has its own teaching and study facilities and a specialist research library known as the Robert Sainsbury Library, all on hand in the Sainsbury Centre.
Our courses
The SRU offers MA and PhD degrees, with generous scholarships and funding support for students. MRes and MPhil options are available.
It also offers visiting fellowships for postdoctoral scholars and hosts regular conferences, symposia and other academic meetings.
The MA and PhD programmes are intended for those interested in careers in higher education, museums and galleries, publishing, journalism and development.
Our research and teaching
Combining anthropological, art-historical, archaeological and museological approaches, SRU research and teaching are focused on the distinctive cultures of the three regions.
It has a particular focus on how artworks and objects are made, used and circulated – in effect, how they matter to people, both in their original contexts and in the contexts of museums and exhibitions.
As part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at UEA the SRU contributes to a substantial and lively scholarly community in the Sainsbury Centre.
Our people
Events and News
We are excited to invite everyone to our upcoming seminar on Tuesday 23 April 2024, which Professor Jean McNeil (University of East Anglia) will be presenting. The talk is titled Supporting contemporary African writers - UEA's International Chair of Creative Writing Africa Year's programme and you will find details below.
This event can be attended in person or online. Those of you in Norwich are most welcome to join us for drinks at the Doctoral Training suite afterward from 6-7 pm.
Venue: Constable Terrace Doctoral Training suite
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm GMT.
Link to register to follow online: http://tinyurl.com/ydvk36kx
Biography:
Jean McNeil has published fifteen books, spanning fiction, memoir, poetry, essays and travel. Her work has won numerous awards and has been translated across languages. She has lived and worked on the African continent for fifteen years. Jean directs the Creative Writing programme at the University of East Anglia, where she is Professor of Creative Writing.
Abstract:
In 2020, UEA was given a philanthropic donation to support an ambitious programme to bring international writing and writers to UEA, starting with the African continent. Jean McNeil outlines how the International Chair for Creative Writing developed platforms for contemporary African fiction, children's writing and playwriting, working with local partners across five countries. The programme did several things no such project has ever accomplished, working with acclaimed Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga. The programme won the 2024 Impact and Innovation Award at UEA for Outstanding Social or Cultural Impact. McNeil will share insights on anti-colonialism, literary citizenship and how the project surveyed and enabled a wealth of talent across the continent.