The Department of Humanities at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell’Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia) invites applications for a 36-month research fellowship in Environmental History in the Medieval Islamicate Mediterranean, starting on 1 November 2023 or as soon as possible afterwards. The project is funded as part of the ERC COG project “SSE1K – Science, Society and Environmental Change in the First Millennium CE”, Grant Agreement no. 101044437, CUP: H73C22001720006, Principal Investigator Prof. Helen Foxhall Forbes.
The post-doctoral researcher will work on Environmental History in Muslim-ruled Territories around the Medieval Mediterranean (c. 650-1100 CE), ideally with a particular focus on water and landscapes. They will carry out original research into Arabic sources, such as geographical accounts and cartography, legal texts as well as scientific treatises which they will consider with reference to published archaeological evidence as well as palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental studies to analyse attitudes and activities connected to water. They will identify specific rituals, practices, and significant events and/or conflicts that relate to the history of water and environment. The researcher will be based at Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice, but will work with Prof. Theresa Jäckh (Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Germany / Deutsches Historisches Institut Rom, Italy) to make comparisons across different contexts and regions including the Islamicate West. Excellent knowledge of Arabic is required; the knowledge of other languages relevant to this area (such as Latin, Hebrew, Greek) is desirable but not essential. The motivation letter to be included with the application should contain
a) a list of the candidate’s modern and ancient language skills and
b) a proposal of the research that the candidate would aim to undertake during the research fellowship.
In addition to preparing their research for publication, the researcher will participate in the various activities of the SSE1K project, including attending team meetings and undertaking dissemination activities (conferences, seminars, workshops) on the project topics.
Further particulars are available, by clicking the ‘Apply’ button.
The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 15th September, 12.00 (CEST).
The interview will be held via Zoom on Friday 29 September 2023, 10.30 (CEST). The short-list of the candidates admitted to the interview, or any postponement, will be published on the University’s webpage on 26 September 2023 (link).