PhD position "History of concepts: digital discourse analysis of the Republic of Letters, 1400-1800”

The Department of History and Art History seeks to appoint a PhD candidate for the project 'Sharing Knowledge in Learned and Literary Networks: the Republic of Letters as a pan-European Knowledge Society', funded by means of an ERC Consolidator grant awarded to Dr. Dirk van Miert.

The PhD candidate will be working on the following project: 'History of concepts: digital discourse analysis, 1400-1800'.

In this project, a study will be made of the frequency and spread of words and concepts that reference or connote the ideal of sharing knowledge, or the lack thereof, in a large and multilingual body of early modern texts, in particular letters. It is devoted to creating a chronological and semantic map of the main identitary concepts which held the Republic of Letters together and to seeing whether these notions change over time or differ according to period, region, discipline, language, religion, social status, and gender. The candidate will have to prepare for discourse analysis a large set of texts currently available in various formats, mine these texts digitally, visualise the results, and analyse them in the context of a cultural history of knowledge. The aim is to test the generally accepted idea that the civil society of the ‘Republic of Letters’ connotes sodality, cooperation, exchange and the common good.

A successful PhD candidate should preferably have:

• a (research) Master degree in early modern history of knowledge;
• demonstrable experience with NLP and digital text mining;
• knowledge of Latin, French and German;
• excellent command of English, both written and orally;
• an outstanding record of undergraduate and Master's degree work;
• strong writing skills;
• capacity to work both as a creative and independent researcher and as part of a team.

The positions can be offered for 1.0 FTE, start date from 1 January 2018 onwards. The appointment is for an initial period of 18 months which, after a positive assessment of progress made, will be extended by another 30 months (4 years in total). The gross salary ranges between €2,222 in the first year, ending at €2,840 in the fourth year (Collective Employment Agreement for Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment.

Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). You'll find more information at working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively on major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Humanities has around 6,000 students and 900 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and teaching in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. Enthusiastic and committed faculty members and excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

Applications should address each of the criteria mentioned under qualifications, and include the following documents:

• cover letter;
• curriculum vitae;
• research design proposal (max. 600 words);
• copy of relevant diplomas and grades;
• copy of a recent academic publication (max. 30 pages) or a recent paper or thesis;
• names and contact details of three referees.

Please clearly state the project for which you are applying in the subject line of your cover letter and note that incomplete applications cannot be included in the subsequent selection procedure. 

Candidates who make the shortlist will be invited for an interview. These may be conducted in person in Utrecht or via Skype.  Interviews are scheduled to take place in the last week of October 2017.