The Medieval Academy Blog

Early Career Collaborative Research Project in Eastern Mediterranean and Levant
for Mediaevalists, Byzantinists and researchers into the art and archaeology of the diverse Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other religious and ethnic groups in this region.

SOAS University of London with funding from the Getty Foundation is launching a new research programme lasting two years that might be of interest to you entitled The Art of the Crusades: A Re-Evaluation.

Led by Professor Scott Redford of SOAS University of London, The Art of the Crusades: A Re-Evaluation is aimed at early career academics and higher level research students interested in exploring the possibilities of a new kind of integrationist approach to the art and archaeology of the mediaeval period in the eastern Mediterranean and Levant.

This approach will involve interrogating the material culture of the mediaeval period using diverse academic approaches, and seek to show the connections between the art and other material culture of the different peoples and religious groups of this region at the time.

We are looking for candidates from a wide variety of academic fields. This includes researchers into Crusader art, architecture and archaeology, but also Byzantinists, and researchers into the art and architecture of Islamic, Jewish and other religious and ethnic groups in the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region during the Middle Ages.

Those taking part will be asked to attend four fully-funded research field trips, two in 2015 and two in 2016, each lasting nine days. These research trips will be to Greece, Israel, Jordan and Turkey and on them participants will attend lectures by international and local experts, visit historical sites of interest and engage in seminars aimed at formulating a new way of looking at this kind of material from an integrationist perspective.

We are particularly keen to encourage researchers based in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, or with strong connections to it, to apply.

All air fares, accommodation and meals on the research trips will be paid for, and we welcome applications now for the first of these trips, to Turkey, in November 2015.

Further information and an application form can be found on the SOAS website at:

Further Information: www.soas.ac.uk/artofthecrusades

Application Form: http://www.jotformeu.com/form/50121286584352

Deadline for Applications: 15 March 2015. Spaces are limited and so early application is strongly advised.

The Norwegian Institute in Rome (University of Oslo) invites scholars in the disciplines of archaeology and art history to submit contributions to the 2015 volume of Acta Ad Archaeologiam Et Artium Historiam Pertinentia (ISSN 0065-0900). In existence since 1962, the journal Acta is the leading forum for Norwegian and international scholarship on Rome’s material and cultural heritage. Acta is indexed in major bibliographies, and all articles go through a rigorous peer review process before publication.

Contribution topics should preferably consider Rome and its broad cultural sphere from antiquity to the high middle ages. Other related subjects (e.g., Byzantium, etc.) crossing disciplinary boundaries are also welcome. Contributions can be submitted in English, Norwegian, Italian, French, or German.

Please send an initial 200 word abstract describing your contribution, accompanied by a brief 30 word biography by February 15 to Sebastian Salvadó (s.e.salvado@roma.uio.no). Accepted contributors will be notified by March 1^st. Completed articles (ca. 7,000-10,000 words) are due no later than June 1^st, 2015. Publication of volume XXVIII (n.s. 14) is scheduled for Fall 2015.

NEW YORK, December 15, 2014 –Columbia University Libraries/Information Servicesinvites applications from scholars and researchers to its annual program designed to facilitate access to Columbia’s special and unique collections, theLibraries Research Awards.

The Libraries awards ten (10) annual grants of $2500 each on a competitive basis to researchers who can demonstrate a compelling need to consult Columbia University Libraries/Information Services holdings for their work. Participating Columbia libraries and collections include those located on the Morningside Heights campus: the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Butler Library, the Lehman Social Sciences Library, the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the C. V. Starr East Asian Library, and the Libraries’ Global Studies Collections.

The program is open to all US citizens and to Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs).  Due to federal regulations, persons holding J-1 or F-1 exchange visitor or student visas are not eligible.  Columbia University Libraries is not able to assist with obtaining visas.  Preference will be given to those applicants residing outside the greater New York metropolitan area who need to travel to New York City to conduct their research.

Applications will be accepted until February 28, 2015. Award notifications will be sent to applicants by April 30, 2015 for research conducted at Columbia during the period July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016.

For more information and application materials, please visit the Libraries Research Awards page.

Columbia University Libraries/Information Servicesis one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 12 million volumes, over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, and graphic and audio-visual materials. The services and collections are organized into 21 libraries and various academic technology centers, including affiliates. The Libraries employs more than 450 professional and support staff. The website of the Libraries is the gateway to its services and resources:library.columbia.edu.