RESEARCHER PROFILE: Postdoc / R2: PhD holders
RESEARCH FIELD(S)1: Digital humanities, archival studies, cultural history, material studies, intellectual history, literature.
JOB /OFFER DESCRIPTION
1. THE PROJECT
The AMIDEX-funded Marc Chénetier-Literature and US Studies in France-Archives and Biography (MC-LEAF-ARCHIBIO) project that you will be joining is based on Emeritus Professor Marc Chénetier’s vast archive bequeathed to the LERMA, exceptional in terms of quantity and scientific relevance: because of his affiliation with many institutional structures (in France and abroad), of his years as a visiting professor in several US universities, and of his links and correspondences with over a hundred US writers, Chénetier’s archive is a precious resource casting a light on his own trajectory but also on the diffusion, the translation, the publication and the study of contemporary US literature in France, from the 1970s to the 2010s. Marc Chénetier’s 2015 interview will give you a good idea of his professional trajectory.
Because of Chénetier’s position at the crossroads of the academic, the publishing, and the translation fields, his archive is a most interesting source for a) researchers and students in literature but also in translation studies, in the history and epistemology of an academic discipline or again in the history of books and publishing; b) literary journalists and critiques; c) biographers interested in Chénetier’s many correspondents. The challenge is therefore threefold:
1) digitizing and valorizing, on a dedicated website, most of the archive to make it available to researchers and students but also, more broadly, to a wider readership of connoisseurs of US literature. In order to address the question of such a multiple audience, the challenge is to conceive an easily-searchable, user-friendly site which will allow the visitor either to find a precise document or to launch ambitious searches implying cross-reference parameters, and which can also be used for pedagogical objectives.
2) analyzing this "grey literature" in order to write the intellectual biography of an academic who was instrumental in the apparition and development of contemporary, experimental US literature in France, which implies: a) to study the professional archive as a "place of knowledge" (Jacob), as the material inscription of the trajectory and the thought of a researcher, b) to reconstruct and analyze Chénetier’s trajectory within a period of intensified transatlantic cultural transfers and development of academic and literary networks; and c) to cast a light on the instrumental role played by Chénetier in the birth and development of French and European studies devoted to the literature of the United States: A true builder and mediator, Chénetier was instrumental in the structuration of this field in the academic, the publishing, and the translation communities.
3) documenting the project so as to reveal how an academic archive can be turned into a digital intellectual biography.
2. THE TEAM
You will be working within the Laboratoire d’Études et de Recherche sur le Monde Anglophone (LERMA, UR 853), and more precisely within the team “Histoire(s) et vies des littératures” (HVL), whose members work in a pluri- and interdisciplinary perspective (see presentation of the HVL team). At AMU, Prof. Sophie Vallas and Dr. Maud Bougerol are in charge of the Chénetier project. Giovanni Pietro Vitali (Université de Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines - Université Paris-Saclay) is also a member of the Marc Chénetier project.
The team will also include a technician who will be in charge of digitizing the archive over a period of one year.
3. YOUR SPECIFIC MISSIONS
You will be working at the intersection of US and literary studies, archival research, and advanced digital methodologies.
1) Helping complete the ongoing process of sorting and cataloguing the archive
2) Organizing the digitization with the technician
3) Developing a methodological approach using your expertise with every step of the data lifecycle: acquisition, processing, management and analysis
4) Contributing to curating the archive with the team
5) Co-building the Omeka-S-based bio-bibliographical database, and collaborating with the web designer to create a searchable website accessible to researchers, students and the public
6) Design and deliver scientific events including lectures, conferences, exhibits…
TYPE OF CONTRACT: TEMPORARY / JOB STATUS: FULL TIME
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 07 June 2025 & 12:00
ENVISAGED STARTING DATE: 01 September 2025
ENVISAGED DURATION: 24 months
JOB NOT FUNDED THROUGH AN EU RESEARCH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
WORK LOCATION(S): LERMA (Laboratoire d’études et de recherche sur le monde anglophone)
Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté des Arts, Lettres, Langues et Sciences Humaines, Maison de la Recherche, 23, Avenue Robert Schuman, 13100 Aix-en-Provence— France
WHAT WE OFFER:
Because the postdoctoral position is intended for an advanced researcher, the highest level of salary will be offered:
Year 1: 3060 euros/ month (gross salary)
Year 2: 3360 euros/ month (gross salary)
Additional information: The Euraxess Center of Aix-Marseille Université informs foreign visiting professors, researchers, postdoc and PhD candidates about the administrative steps to be undertaken prior to arrival at AMU and the various practical formalities to be completed once in France: visas and entry requirements, insurance, help finding accommodation, support in opening a bank account, etc. More information on AMU EURAXESS Portal
QUALIFICATIONS, REQUIRED RESEARCH FIELDS, REQUIRED EDUCATION LEVEL, PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, OTHER RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS
Primary research fields: Literature, US literature, digital humanities, archival studies
Secondary research fields: Literary reception, material approach to literature, intellectual history, book history, cultural history
Required qualifications and skills
- Doctoral level (literature, anglophone studies, archival studies)
- Previous engagement in high-quality research activity (minimum 3 years of experience)
- Experience of archival research and biographical reconstruction
- Solid organizational skills and capacity to work on own initiative: You can expect to be given considerable leeway in how you go about fulfilling your missions.
- Ability to work as essential part of a small team and to collaborate closely with technician whose work (digitization of the archive) you will supervise and interns (Master students, PhD candidates)
- Ability to prioritize actions and meet deadlines
- Excellent communication skills (orally and in writing)
- Readiness to design and deliver public engagement events (conferences, exhibits, workshops…)
- Digitalizing, valorizing and analyzing archival material
- Data acquisition and processing
- Creation of a metadata schema and metadata management
- Data analysis and visualization (Tableau, CARTO, StoryMapJS, TimelineJS…)
- Spatial and network analysis Experience in website building using OMEKA-S
Digital skillset:
The digital skills required are necessary for the job and not optional. The computational aspects of this knowledge are desirable but not mandatory. If the potential candidate is not comfortable working with a programming and/or annotation language, they must demonstrate a willingness to improve in this area. The person recruited will have to know how to organize, read and interpret data, therefore it will be necessary for them to be able to work on the same data on their own initiative, structuring and analyzing the information. The profile is that of a data analyst who, through the data, can suggest studies suitable for our corpora. The successful candidate will be in charge of liaising with the web developer for the creation of the Chénetier website. The skills we are looking for are:
Soft skills: We are looking for an enthusiastic humanist with a passion for archives and digital humanities who has digital skills and wants to develop them step by step with the creation of our digital archive.
You will be expected to work closely with the small team responsible for the Chénetier project, in which your skills and input will be instrumental. Regular meetings will be organized for the team to build the project in the first months, and then to monitor its development. Languages will be English and French.
REQUESTED DOCUMENTS OF APPLICATION, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, SELECTION PROCESS
Applicants are invited to submit the following documents:
- A detailed CV
- A cover letter outlining their motivation, their digital skills, and relevant experiences
- A list of publications and links to digital productions
- At least one letter of recommendation.
HOW TO APPLY: [email protected]
