There is a vacancy for a position as a researcher at the Department of Foreign Languages, by plan starting 1 January 2022 or as agreed. The position is for a fixed-term period of 1.5 years. The opening has just been announced by UiB on Jobbnorge and the deadline is 1 Dec.
The Department of Foreign Languages spans nine different languages, and teaching and research are conducted in the disciplines language/linguistics, literature, cultural studies and didactics (http://www.uib.no/en/fremmedsprak). The Department has around 60 permanent academic staff members, along with around 25 PhD and postdoc candidates and ten administrative members of staff.
The position is affiliated with the ongoing research project “Re-assessing St. Birgitta of Sweden and her Revelations in Medieval England: Circulation and Influence, 1380-1530” directed by Professor Laura Saetveit Miles (PI). The funding comes from the “Young Research Talents” grant from the Norwegian Research Council. The project team has three members: the PI Prof. Miles, one PhD candidate and the vacant researcher position.
This project aims to uncover the full impact of the Swedish saint on late-medieval England by creating an open-access multi-faceted bibliographic database of evidence such as manuscripts and early printed books (Work Packages 1 & 2: project team), editions of Middle English translations (Work Package 3: researcher), and analysis of Birgittine texts and manuscripts (Work Package 4: PI). The project will advance our understanding of how gender, authorship, and religious literature functioned in this period.
The researcher’s role is to help develop the database along with the project team, to contribute generally to the progression of the project as a whole, and most importantly, to contribute to the editing of the major unedited Middle English translation of the Revelations, contained in British Library, MS Julius F.ii. The researcher would collaborate with the project’s previous post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Katherine Zieman (now at University of Poitiers), to continue work on a print edition of the Julius text. A preliminary proposal has already been favourably reviewed by the Early English Text Society for publication. In general the responsibilities of the researcher in relation to the edition will include:
- Comparing Julius and the other major ME translations to the surviving Latin manuscripts from medieval England to determine the closest relation
- Collating the Julius translation, as well as the Claudius translation, against the closest Latin witness
- Collaborating on the preparation of the text, explanatory notes and apparatus
- If time allows, online digital additions of some excerpted revelations
A more detailed work plan and delegation of editing work will be agreed upon at the beginning of the researcher period, in discussion with Prof. Miles and Dr. Zieman. Archival visits funded by the grant will be an important part of the researcher’s responsibilities.
Candidates should submit a proposal discussing the editorial principles that might be relevant to such a project, and other elements applicants consider important to the researcher’s role as described above. The proposal should not exceed 3 pages (excluding bibliography/works cited list).
The Syon Abbey Society 