PhD position 2 - New Ancient Greek literature from the Low Countries (1484-1700)

11 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KU Leuven

Research Field

Literature

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Belgium

Application Deadline

15 Mar 2024 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

38 hours/week

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Reference Number

BAP-2023-849

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

While it is well-known that Latin served as a major literary language in the early modern period (ca. 1400–1700), it is much less known that authors from that era also produced a rich literature in the language of ancient Greece. There is as yet no systematic study of this intriguing phenomenon, which flourished across the European continent from Italy to Scandinavia, and especially in the cultural and linguistic melting pot that the Low Countries were. New Ancient Greek (NAG) literature was a product of the Renaissance intellectual trend known as humanism, which reached the Low Countries at the end of the 15th century. Thanks to pioneers such as Agricola and Erasmus, NAG writing developed into a cultural phenomenon that became deeply anchored in elite society.
This project will for the first time (1) collect the NAG literary corpus in an open access database, (2) investigate the socio-cultural embedding of NAG authors and texts in early modern society, and (3) analyze the varied media through which they reached their audience, and what impressions they left on them. As such, we will produce a more complete picture of early modern NAG literature than is currently available, zooming in on the texts themselves, their authors, and their audience. The project will result in 2 PhD theses, 1 edited volume, 12 papers, and a database that will contribute to literary studies, cultural history, visual studies, and classical reception studies, by means of a digital humanities approach.
This PhD position will focus on creating the corpus and analyzing the media and impact of NAG literature.

Requirements

Research Field

Language sciences

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Languages

DUTCH

Level

Good

Additional Information
Benefits

The position is normally for 4 years, contingent upon positive evaluation after the first year (= initial 1-year contract, extended by 3 years after positive evaluation). The starting date can be flexible to some extent.The successful candidate will:

• receive a generous scholarship;
• enjoy academic guidance by the PIs;
• be integrated into an attractive and diverse research environment, with people from various backgrounds, in different career stages and with different kinds of expertise;
• have funding available for costs related to the research, e.g. to travel to conferences;
• be able to further build their expertise by participating in specialized masterclasses organized in the frame of the various projects of the PIs;
• have the opportunity to contribute to teaching in the Latin and Greek language and literature curriculum (provided that they have sufficient Dutch competencies).

Eligibility criteria

The successful candidate:

• holds an MA in Classics (Greek and Latin) or Byzantine Studies (but with a working knowledge of Latin);
• preferably has documented experience with Renaissance and Neo-Latin studies, the history of linguistics, and/or historical sociolinguistics;
• has an interest in expanding their expertise to include digital and computational approaches;
• has an excellent oral and written command of English, the main working language of the project, but preferably also has at least a working knowledge of Dutch to process secondary literature;
• is willing and able to work both independently and as part of a broader research team;
• is expected to work on the database of the project for about 20% on average (more in the beginning than at the end); to spend a minimum of 60% of their time on their PhD research; and to execute administrative, educational and other tasks (including science communication) for a maximum of 20%.
• is expected to work in Leuven at least 3 days per week on average;
• is willing to work abroad in Oslo (3 months) and Venice (3 months).

Selection process

Please add upload in the application tool:(1) your CV;(2) a motivation letter;(3) the names and contact details of two academic references;(4) optionally a specimen of academic writing (preferably in English or Dutch, max. 20 pages -- if available, not a crucial must).
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Raf Van Rooy, tel.: +32 16 19 31 61, mail: [email protected] or Prof. dr. Reinhart Ceulemans, tel.: +32 16 32 49 16, mail: [email protected] .
You can apply for this job no later than 15/03/2024 via the online application tool

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KU Leuven

Country

Belgium

State/Province

Vlaams Brabant

City

Leuven

Postal Code

3000

Street

Leuven

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://easyapply.jobs/r/KjmfQrK218dshK4Sq7D8

Contact

State/Province

Leuven

City

Vlaams Brabant

Street

Leuven

Postal Code

3000

STATUS: EXPIRED