The Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at Ghent University is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to contribute to the FWO research project “Hagiographic Entanglements of the Long Tenth Century”. This unique opportunity involves a funded doctoral position (as a project collaborator) at UGent, under the supervision of professors Steven Vanderputten (profile page) and Julie M. Birkholz (profile page). Successful candidates will join a dynamic interdisciplinary team dedicated to advancing the understanding of community building in the high medieval West, by applying an unprecedented methodology that combines traditional historical approaches and state-of-the-art ones in network analysis.
PROJECT ABSTRACT
This project offers a re-interpretation of hagiography as an instrument for translocal community-building and networking in the Long Tenth Century (c. 880–1030). In the traditional view, the genre's dominance in this period evidenced a drastic decline in the reach and scope of institutional, social, and cultural networks. But this perception is hard to reconcile with emerging evidence that (a) hagiographical production was deeply entangled at an intertextual level, (b) the texts contain numerous references to connections between religious communities, and (c) authors went to great lengths to ground these connections in a legitimizing past. These things strongly suggest that hagiographies were designed to foster imagined communities of religious groups and help establish resilient networks for the exchange of human and cultural capital. However, this hypothesis has yet to be systematically verified. Through an innovative methodology that combines state-of-the art approaches to Historical Network Analysis with traditional ones for textual study, the researchers will conduct the first integrated and large-scale investigation of all three indicators of hagiography’s entangled nature. By doing so, this project will debunk former views of this era as one in which the local was the dominant paradigm of social and cultural production. Furthermore, it will significantly move the methodological goalposts of research into translocal community building, networking, and written culture.
ENVIRONMENT
The selected candidate will join the Department of History at Ghent University (link), which has a strong international reputation for excellence in innovative and multi- and transdisciplinary research. The current project is a joint venture of two supervisors working respectively at the Henri Pirenne Institute for Medieval Studies (link) and the Ghent Center for Digital Humanities (link). Medieval studies at UGent encompasses diverse approaches and fields, including a vibrant tradition for the study of religious life and thought in the early and high medieval West. GhentCDH is a Core Facility that supports scholars utilizing geospatial analysis, collaborative databases, and digital text analysis.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s degree in Medieval History or in a related field, obtained before 15 September 2025.
- A background in the study of narrative texts and in that of religious life in the Early or High Middle Ages, while not required, is considered an asset.
- Experience in working with primary sources written in Latin.
- Experience in working with and/or willingness to learn to work with secondary literature in English, French, and German.
- Strong interest and willingness to be trained in Digital Humanities-driven network analysis of medieval primary sources.
- Good to excellent English communication skills. Candidates from any language background are welcome to apply.
- Applicants should be able to work in team as well as independently and have a critical and creative mindset.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which after a positive evaluation will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
- The starting date of the position is flexible between March 1 and December 31, 2025 at the latest. Candidates who are not yet holder of a Master’s degree but are due to obtain it before 15 September, 2025 are welcome to apply.
- The monthly grant is free of personal income tax. The exact amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. Click here for more information about our salary scales. Precalculated into the project budget are a range of expenses for research purposes.
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed closing days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
- Vanderputten and Birkholz are strongly committed to providing high quality supervision to the candidate, as well as professional training and support on DH-driven analysis by members of the Ghent Center for Digital Humanities. A Doctoral Guidance Committee consisting of at least three members will provide additional feedback and support. In addition, UGent’s Doctoral School in Arts and Law offers a wide range of free training and education opportunities.
- The Department of History at Ghent University actively fosters a safe working environment for all its staff and offers substantial support to its junior researchers. Regular seminars, discussion groups, and a friendly atmosphere contribute to the quality of work and the well-being of all staff.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications including a full CV (including a transcript of university study results), motivation letter (detailing why you are a good fit), and the contact information for two references should be sent electronically to Prof. Steven Vanderputten (steven.vanderputten@ugent.be).
The evaluation of the applicants starts on February 1, 2025 and continues until the position is filled. Preselected candidates will be invited for an (online) interview. The starting date will be determined in agreement with the selected candidate.