Jobs For Medievalists

The Institute for Historical Regional Studies and Historical Ancillary Sciences at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Tübingen invites applications for a full professorship as of 1 October 2026:

W3-Full Professor for Medieval and Contemporary History, with a Focus on Historical Regional Studies and Historical Ancillary Sciences.

The focus in research and teaching is Historical Regional Studies in a comparative approach as well as on historical ancillary sciences, both in a historically broad perspective and in the two named areas.

It is expected that candidates are willing to participate in collaborative research projects within the Department of History and the Faculty of Humanities as well as to nurture collaborations with archives, museums and other institutions of historical culture in the wider region. Expertise in digital humanities would be welcome, as well as willingness to consider topics related to regional Jewish history.

Required qualifications include a PhD or equivalent degree as well as postdoctoral qualifications and teaching experience (documented by, e.g., teaching evaluations etc.) equivalent to the requirements of a full professorship.

The University of Tübingen is committed to equity and diversity and actively promotes equal opportunities. Female academics, in particular, are explicitly invited to apply, as are applicants from outside Germany.

Applications from equally qualified candidates with disabilities will be given preference.

General information on professorships, hiring processes, and the German academic system may be found here: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/213700

Applications should be submitted along with the required documents (curriculum vitae and outline of academic career, copies of certificates and degrees, publications list, list of teaching experience, teaching evaluations, plan for research and teaching) and a selection of relevant publications (monographs and five essays authored by the applicant) via the University’s appointment portal, https://berufungen.uni-tuebingen.de, by June 17th 2025. Enquiries may be directed to the Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities, Professor Dr. Angelika Zirker (berufungen@philosophie.uni-tuebingen.de).

 

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Call for Proposals: AHR Special Issue: Methods for Archival Silence in Early History

Call for Proposals
AHR Special Issue: Methods for Archival Silence in Early History
Due September 16, 2025

The American Historical Review seeks proposals for a special issue illustrating a range of methodological approaches to archival silence developed by scholars of early history. Articles may be grounded in any part of the world and address any topic as long as they are method-driven, focused on archival silence, and situated early within the periodization of your field.

About the Issue

What should historians do when our sources do not tell us what we want to know? Although this may be a universal experience of historical research, the problem arises in various forms. Some silences are intentional, others unintentional. Some sources are minimal, others extensive but off-topic. Some sources are inaccessible, some have not been preserved, some were never created. Sometimes we do not or cannot know whether our desired sources ever existed, or, if they did, what happened to them. Silences cluster around certain topics, places, and periods more than others.

Historians have articulated this problem in a variety of ways. This call uses the language of archival silence and silencing developed by Michel-Rolph Trouillard and Marisa Fuentes. It could have drawn on the concept of the subaltern (Ranajit Guha, Gayatri Spivak), strategically produced silence and plausible stories (Natalie Zemon Davis), records designed for jettison (Marina Rustow), hidden transcripts (James Scott), living oral traditions (Bethwell A. Ogot), or writing off the radar (James Lockhart), to name only a few.

Faced with archival silence, historians have developed a range of methods for working in, through, and around it. Some techniques and approaches have become characteristic of expertise in early periods. Others are applied by historians across specializations. These include but are not limited to reading against the grain; creative combination of well-known sources; creative use of unusual or little-known sources; oral and other forms of non-written record; technical skills in the so-called ancillary disciplines (numismatics, paleography, codicology, epigraphy, and more); interdisciplinary approaches to method (anthropology, archaeology, literature, linguistics, and more) and to what constitutes a source (climate data, aDNA, physical objects, art, and more); critical fabulation or disciplined imagination; and reframing our questions to build on our sources’ strengths.

Submitting a Proposal

Proposals should be submitted via Google Form bySeptember 16, 2025. Proposals should be no more than 800 words in length and should address the following questions:

  • What is your field of historical research? In the context of your field, why is your project considered early?
  • Briefly describe the archive(s) or bod(ies) of sources on which your project is based. In what sense are these sources silent?
  • Briefly describe the method(s) that you use to work with these sources. What methodological intervention does your project make, and why is it significant?
  • What form will your project take in the journal?

We invite projects in a wide variety of forms. They can include, but are not limited to:

  • Traditional research articles (no more than 8,000 words, excluding footnotes)
  • Image- or video-centered projects
  • Digital history/humanities projects
  • Public history projects or virtual exhibitions
  • Pedagogical projects that examine approaches to methodology and archival silence in the classroom

Decisions on proposals will be announced in November 2025. A positive decision does not guarantee publication in the journal but is rather an invitation to submit a full and complete version of the proposed project for peer review. The submission deadline for complete projects for peer review is May 1, 2026. We anticipate publication of the special issue in 2027.

Please contact the special issue editor, Hannah Barker (hannah.barker.1@asu.edu), with questions.

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Jobs For Medievalists

Applications are invited for an experienced multilingual Digital Humanities / Computer Science Postdoctoral Researcher to lead development, implementation and evaluation of digital tools and methodologies for the NorseMap project based in the School of English and Digital Humanities. NorseMap is a 5-year project funded by the European Research Council, using citizen science methodologies to gather data on the Viking legacy from across Europe and mapping the evolution of responses to the Viking past over time.

The ideal candidate will have undertaken at least one year of postdoctoral research, have experience with data visualisation, and be enthusiastic about engaging with different online communities to learn more about public uses of the past. They will play a key role in all aspects of the project from design and implementation of data collection methodologies – including advising on a dedicated app – to creation of deep maps and visualisations of the complex networks that the project uncovers. They will be expected to carry out high-level research related to the aims of the research project, submitting publications regularly to refereed journals and participating in national and international conferences. A particular responsibility will be investigating ways to visualise connections between complex networks of exchange and influence within the online space.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a team of Viking researchers in mapping the legacy of a cultural phenomenon and to play a leading role in the successful implementation of an ERC-funded project.

For more information, including salary and further particulars, see https://my.corehr.com/pls/uccrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=085873

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Symposium, Tracing Jewish Histories: The Long Lives of Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts, Judaica, and Architecture

What: Symposium, Tracing Jewish Histories: The Long Lives of Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts, Judaica, and Architecture

When: 19-20 May 2025 (see program for details)

Where: In-person, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Vernon Square Campus, London, UK. Following the symposium, a recording of the talks will be made available online on The Courtauld’s website.

Co-Organizers: Reed O’Mara (Case Western Reserve University) and Laura Feigen (The Courtauld Institute of Art)

Registration and Program: https://tinyurl.com/2p8ycmvn

Short Description: Works of art and architecture made by or for Jewish communities in the medieval period are often examined through the lenses of persecution and expulsion, or are contrasted against Christian or Muslim “styles.” This symposium seeks to expand and nuance these narratives in order to highlight how works of art and architecture can uniquely trace the history of particular Jewish communities by mapping their movements and traditions across generations and geographies. Medieval Jewish objects and spaces can also serve as loci to examine ideas related to collective memory and cultural identity. To that end, the symposium seeks to open new dialogues regarding the “afterlives” of medieval Jewish art more broadly, initiating discussions regarding the ways in which works of art and architecture continued to bear witness to the richness of Jewish life and culture long after they were created.

Sponsors: We are grateful for the following institutions for lending their support of this symposium: Sam FOgg; the Mellon Foundation; the Department of Art History & Art at Case Western Reserve University; and the Medieval Academy of America Graduate Student Committee Grant for Innovation in Community Building and Professionalization

Attached: Save the date with registration as a JPEG and PDF

Please let us know if you require any further information, and thank you again for all your support.

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Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean

Transmitting and Preserving Languages in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean

Date: 5th June 2025

Venue: Balliol College, Gillis Lecture Theatre and Massey Room (Oxford OX1 3BJ) & online

Convenors: Daniel Gallaher and Ugo Mondini (University of Oxford)

The workshop explores how and why languages were taught, learned, and sustained across the diverse and shifting socio-cultural landscapes of the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean. Integrating history with historical sociolinguistics and adopting a comparative and cross-disciplinary perspective, the workshop aims to identify shared trends, comparable elements, and distinctive features in language learning and transmission. This approach offers a renewed perspective on the interconnected Mediterranean world—a region where multilingualism, mobility, and intercultural exchange were and are central to daily life. The impact of these dynamics on language teaching, preservation, and use has often been underestimated.

The event will include dedicated time for discussion and reflection, allowing participants to engage in a broader conversation about language, identity, and cultural transmission. At its core, the project reimagines the medieval and early modern Mediterranean, not merely as a space of teaching, learning, and multilingual exchange.

Speakers: Speakers: Samet Budak (ANAMED Koç University); S. Peter Cowe (UCLA); Erica Field-Marchello (Exeter College, Oxford); Mark Janse (University of Cambridge); Michiel Leezenberg (University of Amsterdam); Giorgia Nicosia (Ghent University); Lucy Parker (University of Nottingham).

For more information about the programme and to register for online attendance, please contact Ugo Mondini at ugo.mondini@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

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Call for Sessions: Mary Jaharis Center Sponsored Panel, 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies

To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center sponsored session at the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, May 14–16, 2026. We invite session proposals on any topic relevant to Byzantine studies.

Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website. The deadline for submission is May 12, 2025.

If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and moderator) up to $800 maximum for scholars traveling from North America and up to $1400 maximum for those traveling from outside North America. Funding is through reimbursement only; advance funding cannot be provided. Eligible expenses include conference registration, transportation, and food and lodging. Receipts are required for reimbursement.

For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/61st-icms

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

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Call for Sessions: Mary Jaharis Center Sponsored Panel, 8th Forum Medieval Art

To encourage the integration of Byzantine studies within the scholarly community and medieval studies in particular, the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture seeks proposals for a Mary Jaharis Center sponsored session at the 8th Forum Medieval Art/Forum Kunst des Mittelalters, Bochum / Dortmund, September 23–26, 2026. The biannual colloquium is organized by the Deutsche Verein für Kunstwissenschaft e.V.

The theme for the 8th Forum Medieval Art is Work: Traces, Constellations, Valuations. From a region with a significant medieval character and a post-industrial present we want to address the question whether the term “work” could be of any benefit when applied to the practices of medieval art production and their social and economic context. At the latest with the development of urban culture in the 12th/13th century, the concept of a society based on the division of work began to replace traditional forms of social differentiation – a process that was theologically founded in the 12th century and accompanied by a revaluation of art, craft and creativity.

The Mary Jaharis Center invites session proposals that fit within the Work theme and are relevant to Byzantine studies.

Session proposals must be submitted through the Mary Jaharis Center website. The deadline for submission is May 8, 2025.

If the proposed session is approved, the Mary Jaharis Center will reimburse a maximum of 4 session participants (presenters and session chair) up to $500 maximum for participants traveling from locations in Germany, up to $800 maximum for participants traveling from the EU, and up to $1400 maximum for participants traveling from outside Europe. Funding is through reimbursement only; advance funding cannot be provided. Eligible expenses include conference registration, transportation, and food and lodging. Receipts are required for reimbursement.

For further details and submission instructions, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/sponsored-sessions/8th-forum-medieval-art

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

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Opportunity for Graduate Students and ECRs: An Introduction to Network Analysis for Byzantinists

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and the Byzantine Studies Association of North America are pleased to offer a week-long introduction to network analysis workshop for graduate students and early career researchers in collaboration with Professor Alexander Brey of Wellesley College, Professor Dr. Zachary Chitwood of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Dr. Ryan Horne of the University of California, Los Angeles, Professor Christian Raffensperger of Wittenberg University, and Dr. Katerina Ragkou of Philipps University of Marburg.

An Introduction to Network Analysis for Byzantinists, workshop by Alexander Brey (Wellesley College), Zachary Chitwood (University of Munich), Ryan Horne (UCLA), Christian Raffensperger (Wittenberg University), and Katerina Ragkou (University of Marburg), Zoom, May 12–16, 2025

Network analysis allows researchers to model and visualize the connections and interactions between different entities (e.g., people, places, objects) in their research data. This online workshop will offer Byzantinists an introduction to network analysis and its use in historical disciplines, with a focus on Byzantine and medieval studies. Participants will gain an understanding of the basic concepts of network theory and explore projects employing network analysis and the choices that lay the foundation for the projects, including data modeling, methodology, and tools. During practical sessions, participants will learn how to format their own data for network analysis, create a database in Neo4j and query their data, interface their Neo4j database with other tools, and publish their network analysis.

This workshop is intended for those who have very little or no experience with network analysis.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants. The time commitment for this workshop is 20.5 hours of instruction. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. Registration is first come, first served. All participants must be BSANA members. Graduate students and early career researchers (PhD received after May 2017) in the field of Byzantine studies. Students enrolled in graduate programs in North America and early career researchers working in North America will be given priority.

Registration closes Wednesday, May 1, 2025.

To read a full description of the workshop and register your interest, please visit https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/intro-to-network-analysis-for-byzantinists.

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

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Online Lecture: The Malleability of Memory in Memorializing the Saints

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture and the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University are pleased to announce the final lecture in the 2024–2025 East of Byzantium lecture series.

The Malleability of Memory in Memorializing the Saints
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 12:00 PM (EDT, UTC -4) | Zoom
Mary K. Farag, Princeton Theological Seminary

The ritual remembrance of holy ones in late antiquity sometimes had more to do with the intentional formation of the liturgical community than with the life of the holy one. Neither Pachomius, the early-fourth century leader of a monastic federation known as the Koinonia, nor Theophilus, the late-fourth and early-fifth century bishop of Alexandria, were even near contemporaries, but their characterizations were effectively exchanged. The aftermath of the first Origenist controversy rendered their memorialization distinctly malleable. Egypt would remember a Pachomian Theophilus, while Asia Minor would remember a Theophilan Pachomius. Pachomius would become the anti-Origenist that Theophilus was, while Theophilus would become the ascetic visionary that Pachomius was. Their remembrance in hagiographies and homilies was less about making the past present than about shaping the past for the present.

Mary K. Farag is Associate Professor of Early Christian Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. She studies the history of late antiquity with a focus on Christianity in Egypt.

Advance registration required. Register: https://eastofbyzantium.org/upcoming-events/

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture with any questions.

An East of Byzantium lecture. EAST OF BYZANTIUM is a partnership between the Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University and the Mary Jaharis Center that explores the cultures of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine empire in the late antique and medieval periods.

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Online Lecture: “This Holy One is Mother, Father, and Sister to Me”: Gender and Beyond in Byzantine Hagiography

The Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture is pleased to announce the final lecture in our 2024–2025 lecture series.

“This Holy One is Mother, Father, and Sister to Me”: Gender and Beyond in Byzantine Hagiography
Lucy Parker, University of Nottingham
April 24, 2025 | 12:00 PM (EDT, UTC -4) | Zoom

Gender has proved a powerful analytical framework for interpreting late antique and Byzantine hagiography. Historians have argued that male and female saints’ lives contained important differences, even perhaps forming different “subgenres” of hagiography. It has been suggested that, in contrast to male saints who fought external evil in cities or in the remote desert, female saints lived more cloistered lives and had to fight their own internal weaknesses. Some hagiographers emphasised that it was particularly impressive for women to achieve holiness given their innately weak and sinful nature. Female saints are often shown transcending their femininity, becoming “manly” as a necessary part of their journey to sanctity.

Yet this lecture will ask whether we have gone too far in drawing a clear distinction between the lives of female and male saints. It will explore some hagiographies of female saints (including the Life of Martha, mother of Symeon the Younger, the Life of Matrona of Perge, and the Life of Irene of Chrysobalanton) that do not fit neatly into the paradigms identified as characteristic of female lives. It will ask whether these unusual lives can be seen merely as exceptions to the general trend, or whether they force us to rethink our broader models, and to question how far a stark male-female gender binary determined understandings of holiness. Not all hagiographers were equally concerned with the differences between men and women, and not all female saints are presented as held back by, or needing to transcend, their femaleness. Rather than imposing a binary gender framework on hagiographic writing, we can instead explore variability in the use of gendered language and the gendering of holiness, and consider when and why gender and specific understandings thereof became particularly important in processes of sanctification.

Lucy Parker is an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Nottingham. Her first book, Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch: From Hagiography to History, was published by Oxford University Press in 2022. As well as Byzantine hagiography, she also works on Syriac and Eastern Christianity in the Early Modern period.

(This lecture is rescheduled from November 2024.)

Advance registration required. Register: https://maryjahariscenter.org/events/gender-and-beyond-in-byzantine-hagiography

Contact Brandie Ratliff (mjcbac@hchc.edu), Director, Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, with any questions.

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