The MDRN Research Lab and the Research Unit Literary and Cultural Studies at the Arts Faculty of KU Leuven are looking for a PhD candidate to execute a four-year PhD project on the (anti-)pedagogy of 19th-century literary classics for children that focuses on the case of Pinocchio. The PhD project is part of a large-scale research program on literature and education in Western Europe between 1880 and 1940.
The MDRN research lab is known for its expertise in the field of modernism studies in its broadest sense. It is a unique collaborative and comparative research hub that unites scholars from various languages and disciplines. It offers an exciting environment for young scholars to pursue their research in an independent way while offering them the benefits of a genuinely collaborative mode of working.
We are based at the Arts Faculty of the University of Leuven, a comprehensive research-intensive university that enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide. Located in a historic city in the heart of Belgium, the university is 20 minutes from Brussels and less than two hours from Paris, London and Amsterdam.
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Project
The (anti-)pedagogy of 19th-century literary classics for children in Italy and abroad
“The (anti-)pedagogy” is a PhD project that is part of the encompassing research program Learning Modern Literature: Literary Education in Western Europe (1880 – 1940), funded by the University of Leuven Research Council and supervised by professors Anke Gilleir, David Martens, Bart Van den Bossche and Pieter Verstraeten (project coordinator). The program seeks to research the interactions between school and modern literature in Western Continental Europe from a literary-historical perspective. It wants to gain insight into the institutional and ideological development of literary education in different European nations (focus on Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) and its transnational circulation. Some core questions are: How were literature and literary reading brought into practice in different educational contexts? What different meanings, uses and functions were attributed to literary texts in these contexts? What role did literary education play in the production of literary practices and discourses? How does literary fiction of the time reflect literary education in and outside school? Overall, the project will enhance our knowledge about the role of literature as one of the cornerstones of an educational system in full expansion.
The project “The (anti-)pedagogy of 19th-century literary classics for children” investigates the reception, interpretation, circulation, adaptation and afterlife of Carlo Collodi’s Le avventure di Pinocchio with regard to its pedagogical potential and in comparison to similar European cases. In a context of rising literacy and expanding compulsory education a number of immensely popular stories emerged across Europe that were primarily intended for a younger reading public, but that were often also appreciated by adult readers. What stories like Alice in Wonderland (1865), De kleine Johannes (1885-1887), and Pinocchio (1881-1883), in spite of their differences, have in common is the fact that they are quite unconventional and slightly unsettling children’s books, seemingly at odds with the formally organized education system of the time. Questions addressed in this project concern the adaptations and uses of Pinocchio and similar stories in different (formal and less formal) pedagogical contexts, taking also into account the changing political conditions in Italy and in other European countries. To what extent and through which practices of adaptation and interpretation is its critical and even anti-pedagogical potential highlighted and exploited? How was the story of Pinocchio received in other parts of Europe, and what comparable ‘classics’ for children and adolescents circulated and functioned in similar ways in the same decades?
Profile
- You hold an MA in Literary Studies or a comparable degree, you have a native or near-native competency in Italian, as well as a high proficiency in English.
- You have a passion for literature and reading and are motivated to become an outstanding scholar in literary and cultural studies.
- You are interested in the historical ties between literature and education (understood in the broadest sense) and in European modernisms in the first half of the 20th century in general.
- You are prepared to communicate about your research at conferences and in scholarly publications. Skills to communicate towards a broader public (in the press, on social media) are an asset.
- You are happy to work on campus at least three or four days a week.
- You are eager to work in a team and ready to play an active role in the research program, the MDRN research lab, and the Research Unit. As a doctoral student you participate in the doctoral training program and may be asked to devote a specific part of your time to teaching supervision duties.
Offer
We offer a four year full-time PhD scholarship (doctoraatsbursaal) in an intellectually stimulating and collaborative environment. The PhD scholarship is initially for 1 year. Upon a positive academic evaluation, this period will be extended by 3 years. A budget for research-related travel will be available to you as well. For more information on the job application procedure, salary and working conditions at KU Leuven, see: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/en/academic-staff/academic-staff-research-education-information
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. Dr. Pieter Verstraeten (pieter.verstraeten@kuleuven.be) or Prof. Dr. Bart Van den Bossche (bart.vandenbossche@kuleuven.be).
Candidates are invited to submit their application in English, which contains:
(1) a cv, including a detailed list of course marks/grades of bachelor and master studies,
(2) a letter of motivation stating your qualifications and reasons for interest in the position,
(3) one writing sample (published article, MA thesis chapter, ...),
(4) contact information of two references (including information on relationship with the applicant).
Interviews with applicants are scheduled on September 3rd. Candidates who are selected for the interview will be notified August 21st. Start of work is October 1st, 2024.
You can apply for this job no later than August 15th 2024 via the online application tool.
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