Poste post-doctoral – The Goethe-University Frankfurt-am-Main

Poste post-doctoral – The Goethe-University Frankfurt-am-Main

The Goethe-University Frankfurt-am-Main invites applications for 2 post-doctoral positions as Researchers in Late Antique Christianity in the Near East (E13 TV-G-U) within the Leibniz research project „Polyphony of Late Antique Christianity“ (directed by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Leppin). The full-time position is to be filled from 1st April 2016 onwards. The initial duration of the contract will be 36 months and the salary is set according to TV-H 13. The project is financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

„Polyphony of Late Antique Christianity“ strives to develop a new picture of Christianity in Late Antiquity integrating Mediterranean and Near Eastern perspectives (understood in a very large sense, extending from Ethiopia to Armenia and Georgia). We are looking for new members of the team to work on their own research analysing texts in languages of the ancient Christian Near East (as for example Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, Ge’ez, Arabic) and thereby would contribute to demonstrating the diversity the diversity of Christianity. As a member of the team the researcher will be obliged to share the research tasks of the team, e.g. preparing workshops, conferences, publications and participating in colloquia.

The ideal candidate needs to have an excellent doctorate in History of Religion, Oriental Philology, Ancient Judaism, Ancient Christianity, Ancient History or related fields solid knowledge of English, German and an additional modern language excellent knowledge of the relevant ancient language(s).

Please submit your application complete with curriculum vitae, copies of your final university degrees, a copy of your doctoral thesis and up to three further publications, and an outline of the research project (5-10 pages) you would like to pursue no later than 14th November 2015 in electronic form to h.leppin@em.uni-frankfurt.de.

For further information please contact h.leppin@em.uni-frankfurt.de.

The University of Frankfurt is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages applications by women. Ceteris paribus seriously handicapped people will have preference.

Appel à contribution – Byzantine Studies Alive, Radboud University

Appel à contribution

Byzantine Studies Alive

Radboud University – Nijmegen, the Netherlands
June 16-17, 2016

 

In recent decades many new studies on the Byzantine world have appeared that have offered us new perspectives on existing views of the Byzantine Empire. For instance, Judith Herrin in Byzantium. The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire (2009) and Margins and Metropolis (2013) made an appeal for Byzantium to be saved from its negative stereotype of an autocratic, completely ritualized and almost fossilized empire. Averil Cameron has demonstrated in her recent Byzantine Matters (2014) that – although we have made progress in the past few decades – Byzantine Studies is still left with many questions on issues such as Byzantine identity, the Hellenistic influence or our understanding of religious practices and orthodoxy in the Byzantine world.
However, whereas both Herrin and Cameron encourage Byzantine scholars to continue to deal with these issues, to take up new avenues and to unite the various disciplines that work on the Byzantine field, Norman Davies in his Vanished Kingdoms (2011) has been more pessimistic. In his discussion of the rise and fall of various kingdoms in Europe he offered his readers a gloomy view on our possibilities of understanding Byzantium. In fact, in the chapter on Byzantium he concluded that “describing or summarizing Europe’s greatest ‘vanished kingdom’ is almost too much to contemplate. The story is too long, too rich and too complex” (p. 322).
This rather negative point of view of being overwhelmed by Byzantium’s complexities almost seems to suggest that we should refrain ourselves from attempting to analyze Byzantium and its history. Our conference likes to object to this suggestion as it will take up the challenge of demonstrating that Byzantine Studies is far from dead. We want to show how the diversities and complexities have made Byzantium into a fascinating world worth of our attention, encouraged by the studies of Herrin and Cameron. We are very pleased to announce that Averil Cameron will give the key note lecture of the conference.
We would like to bring together both junior and senior scholars from various disciplines such as Byzantine history, art history, literature and archaeology in our attempt to unlock the importance of the Byzantine world for our current generations.                     

We welcome proposals for papers on the following two themes:  

1) Byzantium as a key player in the relationship between East and West, A.D. 330 -1453

Byzantium can be seen as a leading catalyst in the political, cultural, economic and religious exchange between East and West, to be detected in the relationship both between Byzantium and Latin Western Europe and Byzantium and the Islamic world.

Keywords: contacts, interchange, imitation, competition, confrontations

We especially welcome the papers on this theme to include analyses on
(a) Agents of exchange such as rulers, bishops, popes, diplomats, pilgrims, writers  or artists
(b) Objects of transcultural encounter and transfer such as, (religious) monuments, texts (hagiography, historiography, liturgical texts, travel accounts)  decorations, liturgical objects, relics or diplomatic gifts.

These agents and objects can be regarded as part of the larger historical context within which Europe took shape in the Middle Ages and beyond.

2) The position of Byzantine heritage, 7th Century – present day

The definite end of the Byzantine Empire is marked by the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. Through its history, however, the dimension and identity of the Empire was not one identical continuum. In different phases of development (Arab conquests, iconoclasm, Crusaders period) Byzantine monuments and artefacts were appropriated or under threat, a phenomenon that continued after the Ottoman conquest.

Keywords: appropriation, transformation, identity, continuity, rupture.

We especially welcome the papers on this theme to include analyses on:
(a) Appropriation and transformation of Byzantine heritage (objects, monuments, cities)
(b) Display of Byzantine heritage in Museum Collections
(c) Preservation and restoration of Byzantine heritage
(d) Byzantine
heritage under threat

 Abstracts, no more than 400 words, can be submitted d.slootjes@let.ru.nl  and m.verhoeven@let.ru.nl  before the 1st of December, 2015.

Organizers:
Daniëlle Slootjes                           (Department of History, Radboud University Nijmegen)
Mariëtte Verhoeven                     (Department of Art History, Radboud University Nijmegen)

Stage – British Library

Stage – British Library

The British Library is pleased to be able to offer a nine-month internship in the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts section of the Western Heritage Department for a post-graduate or post-doctoral student in History, Art History, Medieval Language or Literature or other relevant subject.

The intern will be involved in all aspects of the work of the Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts section, including responding to enquiries, providing talks for students and patrons, selecting and presenting manuscripts for display in our exhibition gallery, and cataloguing, thereby gaining insight into various curatorial duties and aspects of collection care. During the internship at the Library, the intern will enjoy privileged access to printed and manuscript research material, and will work alongside specialists with wide-ranging and varied expertise. 

The primary focus of the internship will be to enhance the online Digitised Manuscripts site by creating and supplementing catalogue entries for medieval manuscripts and accompanying images. The intern will also assist in researching and answering inquiries, preparing manuscripts for exhibition and writing exhibition labels, writing blog posts, and assisting in presentations to students and visitors, working under the supervision of the Lead Curator, Illuminated Manuscripts.
The internship is designed to provide an opportunity for the student to develop research skills and expertise in medieval history, and in presenting manuscripts to a range of audiences.
Previous interns have given feedback that they felt a valued member of the team, gained professional confidence and developed their career by carrying out a ‘real’ job with specific duties.
This is a full-time paid internship for nine months starting in January 2016, or as soon as relevant security checks have been completed. 

How to Apply

The programme is only open to students who are engaged actively in research towards, or have recently completed a PhD in a subject area relevant to the study of medieval manuscripts and who have a right to work in the UK full time.

To apply, please visit our careers website with details of your experience of medieval manuscripts. 

Closing Date: 7 November 2015
Interview Date: 23 November 2015

The selection process may include questions about the date and origin of a particular manuscript to be shown at the interview.

Appel à contribution – “Works in Progress: New Approaches”, Princeton University

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies

 International Graduate Student Conference in Modern Greek Studies
“Works in Progress: New Approaches”
Friday, May 6, 2016

 CALL FOR PAPERS

The Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies at Princeton University announces our eighth annual International Graduate Student Conference in Modern Greek Studies. 

We invite submissions from doctoral candidates at the final stages of their dissertation work.  We seek proposals for papers that draw on research relevant to the study of any aspect of modern Greece and the Hellenic world, broadly defined, 15th century AD to the present. We welcome submissions from any discipline in the humanities and social sciences. Comparative and/or interdisciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged. Papers should be in English and presentations must not exceed 30 minutes.

The conference will bring together six to eight outstanding doctoral students, for an intensive day of presentations and intellectual exchange. Each presentation will be followed by a short response and in-depth discussion of the paper. In addition to their participation at the conference, speakers will have the opportunity to meet with Princeton faculty, graduate students and visiting scholars, to access the Princeton modern Greek collections, and to take part in a range of activities over the course of their four-day stay in Princeton.

Please submit abstracts of no more than 500 words by Friday, February 5, 2016. Abstracts should include reference to the theoretical and/or methodological approach(es) employed . All Greek (or other foreign) words should be transliterated. Each abstract should be accompanied by (i) a cover letter (one page, maximum) reflecting on how the proposed paper relates to the dissertation-in-progress, and situating the applicant’s research within his/her academic field(s); (ii) a curriculum vitae; (iii) the applicant’s contact information (name, current affiliation, postal and e-mail addresses,  tel. nos.); (iv) the names and e-mail addresses of two academic referees, including the dissertation supervisor and one other person familiar with the candidate’s current research.

Receipt of all submissions will be acknowledged. Applicants will be notified by Monday, March 7, 2016 regarding acceptance. Participants will be expected to submit the full text of their papers by Friday, April 15, 2016. Papers will be pre-circulated among speakers, chairs, and respondents.

The Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies will cover participants’ travel expenses to Princeton, at the lowest available rates. Speakers will be offered shared (double-occupancy) accommodation (for up to four nights), as well as some meals during their stay in Princeton.

Submissions should be e-mailed to: hellenic@princeton.edu and jglynias@princeton.edu

Submissions by fax or hard copy will not be accepted.

Deadline: Friday, February 5, 2016

Program Committee:
Luisa Andriollo, Hellenic Studies
Vladimir Boskovic, Hellenic Studies
Kathleen Crown, Humanities
Lisa Davis, Anthropology
Karen Emmerich, Comparative Literature
Dimitri Gondicas, Classics and Hellenic Studies
Molly Greene, History and Hellenic Studies
Effie Rentzou, French and Italian
Jamie Reuland Greenberg, Music
Carlotta Santini, Hellenic Studies
Teresa Shawcross, History and Hellenic Studies
Anna Tsiftsoglou, Hellenic Studies
Margarita Voulgaropoulou, Hellenic Studies

Secretary to the Committee:  Joe Glynias, History

Colloque – Individus, piraterie, représailles et contrebande en Méditerranée orientale et en Adriatique (XIIe-XVe siècle)

Colloque

Individus, piraterie, représailles et contrebande en Méditerranée orientale et en Adriatique (XIIe-XVe siècle) : les acteurs des échanges face aux abus et aux violences

29 – 30 octobre 2015, Logis du Roy – Square Jules Bocquet – Amiens

À travers le cas de la Méditerranée orientale et de son annexe adriatique au bas Moyen Âge, zone d’interaction des espaces latin, byzantin et musulman, la rencontre s’intéresse au comportement des acteurs dans toutes les formes de prédation qui s’exercent sur les échanges. La piraterie est une manifestation particulièrement bien connue de ce prélèvement violent, mais on se penchera aussi sur les mécanismes des représailles, la contrebande ainsi que les abus des agents publics à l’égard des acteurs privés des échanges. Bien que ces derniers abus puissent être coutumiers et impliquer alors une forme de consentement des victimes, ce consentement n’est jamais complètement acquis et ces types de prélèvement restent perçus comme essentiellement inéquitables et à ce titre susceptibles de recours auprès des autorités de l’une ou l’autre partie. La contrebande constitue quant à elle une réponse des acteurs à un prélèvement que les autorités considèrent comme pleinement légitime mais qui n’en est pas moins jugé lui aussi excessif par ceux à qui il est imposé. Tous ces phénomènes sont générateurs d’information documentaire sur les individus, mais ils contribuent aussi directement au processus même d’individuation : le pirate comme ses victimes, l’agent douanier comme ses proies ont besoin de définir l’identité de l’autre et son allégeance politique, que ce soit pour justifier le prélèvement forcé ou pour en réclamer compensation. Les autorités étatiques doivent aussi répertorier, nommer et classer les acteurs individuels, que ce soit pour les protéger des abus ou les en indemniser, ou au contraire pour justifier ceux qu’ils ont commis à leur égard. Dans le mécanisme des représailles, la définition de la chaîne des allégeances est essentielle, car elle établit celle des responsabilités partagées. Au-delà de leur saveur pittoresque et des techniques de leur mise en récits documentaire, tous ces phénomènes sont donc singulièrement éclairants du point de vue de l’histoire des individus.

Programme du colloque ici.