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 representation of literature at school in German (and optionally also Dutch) fiction. The 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 representation of literature at school in literary fiction in Germany
“The Representation of literature at school” 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 on the “Representation of literature at school in literary fiction” investigates the variety of evocations of literary education in the work of fiction by a spectrum of German-speaking (and optionally also Dutch-speaking) literary writers from in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The major question of this project is how the massive institutionalization of literary education and the accompanying boom of literary discourse was echoed in the fiction of writers from the modernist era, who had been beneficiaries of these innovative but also often strict programs. Next to antagonistic or sympathetic evocations, some writers develop imaginative alternatives to standard education or evoke ambivalent reminiscences of educational practices in a variety of manners both formally and thematically. As such, fiction contributed to the social debate on literary education and education in general. The corpus of this project consists of the work of highbrow and canonized literary authors as well as that of so-called middlebrow and ‘popular’ literary authors, whose work was often immensely well-read. A particular focus is on the question of gender, as both literary production and education were extremely gendered social practices.
Profile
- You hold an MA in Literary Studies or a comparable degree, you have a native or near-native competency in German and a high level of proficiency in English. Knowledge of Dutch is optional, but is an asset.
- 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 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. Anke Gilleir (anke.gilleir@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 by 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.
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.