The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages is very grateful to Andrew Harcourt for the generous donation to part-fund a studentship for a 3-year DPhil degree in Portuguese. The grant will be known as the Magellan Studentship – after explorer Ferdinand Magellan. We hope that this studentship opens new horizons for future scholars of Portuguese.
The first recipient of the Magellan Studentship is Tom Stennett (St Anne’s College), whose DPhil topic is ‘António Quadros and the Portuguese Literary Canon’. During the signing ceremony that took place on June 28th 2018 in the Radcliffe Humanities Building, Tom explained how this grant gave him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue the topic of his research.
"I am immensely privileged to have received the Magellan Studentship. The award has given me the opportunity to research the hitherto neglected artist António Quadros. The studentship has made possible two research trips: to Portugal and to Mozambique. In Portugal, I have worked in the National Library and interviewed friends of Quadros, who have provided valuable insights into his work. In Mozambique, I worked in the archives of the National Library and in the archives of national publication Notícias, in their headquarters in Maputo. I also met Mozambican novelists and poets who knew Quadros, as well as former colleagues of his in the Mozambican government. These trips have profoundly changed the course of my research, and provided me with essential information and materials. I am very grateful for the financial support, which has allowed me to pursue postgraduate studies and my ambition to work in academia."
The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of the Portuguese Sub-Faculty, Professors Phillip Rothwell, Simon Park, Cláudia Pazos-Alonso, Claire Williams, and Professor Emeritus Tom Earle. The Chair of the Faculty, Professor Ian Watson – alongside Andrew Harcourt – signed the document that officially marks the beginning of this studentship. Andrew told us:
"Although I encountered Portuguese later than is customary, both the language and culture quickly became a significant part of my life professionally. What I did not expect was how important Portugal and its people would become to me personally. I have enormous respect for the Oxford programme and have greatly enjoyed getting to know members of the Sub-faculty over the past year. I am so pleased to be in a position to help how I can and advocate for the value of scholarship in Portuguese studies through the support of Tom."