Jim Fraser
Job Title
PhD Student
Research interests
Research interests
North East of Scotland, Social Memory, Place, Just Transition, Oilscapes, Imagined Futures.
Background
About:
Jim Fraser is a first-year PhD student working within Social Anthropology. His PhD project, currently titled "Past, Present, and Uncertain Future in Scotland’s Oilscape: Investigating the Entanglements of Oil and Cultural Life in Aberdeen", seeks to investigate the effect that North Sea oil has had on cultural life in his home town, Aberdeen.
Jim is co-supervised by Dr John Harries and Dr Zeynep Oguz, and is funded by an ESRC scholarship from the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science's open competition.
Project Summary:
His research focuses on the relationship that has developed between Aberdeen and oil since the emergence of the North Sea oil industry over fifty years ago. A relationship that took Aberdeen from a small city known for granite and fishing, to the 'Oil Capital of Europe'.
Today, Aberdeen is faced with another major transformation. The need for a global transition away from fossil fuels means the winding down of the industry that has been at its core for more than half a century. During this period the oil industry has reshaped Aberdeen; be it in the offices of glass and steel that rise above the old granite streets, or the distinctive temporal experience, of booms and busts, that comes with being tied to the price of Brent Crude.
The aim of this project is to investigate how oil has become woven into contemporary Aberdonian cultural life, and of how it affects local perception of past, present, and future. Understanding this relationship - between oil and place - is an essential precursory step if we want to motivate a green transition strategy for Aberdeen that is considerate of its particular context and the needs of its constituent communities.
Fieldwork:
The project will involve a years fieldwork in Aberdeen - hopefully beginning mid-2026.
Qualifications:
MSc(R) Social and Political Science, Social Anthropology. (Edinburgh, 2024)
MA(Hons) Social Anthropology and Politics (Edinburgh, 2023).
Contact:
Always happy to chat about anything even vaguely related. Drop an email to jim.fraser@ed.ac.uk