Post-doctoral fellow or PhD research student,
art history and visual culture of late imperial China
Leiden University, The Netherlands

Institution Type: College/University
Position Type: Post-doctoral Fellow
Submitted: Friday, April 22nd, 2005

The Research School for Asian, African and Amerindian Studies at Leiden
University seeks applications to fulfill one post to do either PhD (4
years) or post-doctoral (3 years) research in the history of art &
material culture of China. This announcement re-advertises a search
conducted in 2004 for PhD applications and now expanded to include
post-doctoral researchers. The successful applicant will join a research
project called A Social History of Visual Images in Late Imperial and
Modern China, funded by the Hulsewé-Wazniewski Foundation (HWS) for the
Advancement of Teaching & Research at Leiden University in the
Archaeology, Art & Material Culture of China.
The project’s central question is: How did the various social roles of
visual images change during the transition from tradition to modernity
in China? It emphatically places research on the art-historical
categories of content and medium within a broad context of visualization
in its socio-historical development: production, circulation, function
and reception. Oliver Moore, the project’s principal researcher and
supervisor, will investigate the changing importance of pictorial
practices in Chinese society during the Qing dynasty, with special
attention to the 19th century.
The original project description (at
http://www.tcc.leidenuniv.nl/socialvisual) advertised two PhD positions.
One successful applicant will soon commence research on the Chinese
historiography of art in educational and professional spheres during the
19th and 20th centuries. Applicants for the second position, either on
the PhD or on the postdoc level, may focus on the history of art
collections (as in the original project description). Given the expanded
terms of this re-advertisement, they may also offer an alternative
research plan, with art-historical, sociological or historical focus on
any visual aspect of material culture in China during the 19th and/or
20th centuries, on condition of compatibility with the project’s overall
scholarly concerns. Specific queries can be addressed to Oliver Moore at
o.j.moorelet.leidenuniv.nl.
Applicants must demonstrate scholarly expertise in the history of
(Chinese) art & visual / material culture, social (Chinese) history,
sociology or other areas pertinent to the project’s aims. They must have
an outstanding command of Chinese, and be fluent in English.
Applications must be in English, and include a letter stating
motivation, a short essay showing the potential for successful
engagement with the project (400 to 800 words, exclusive of any cited
references), a brief curriculum vitae, a list of publications and
unpublished scholarly writings such as the BA, MA or PhD thesis (title,
supervisor’s name, institution), and the names and contact details of
two referees. Other than the application essay, applications should not
include written work. The search committee may ask shortlisted
candidates for additional samples of their scholarly writing, and
contact their referees for letters of recommendation.

Applications must be sent by regular mail to:

HWS Selection Committee
c/o Dr Oliver Moore
Chinese Studies, Leiden University
p.o. box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands.

Applications by fax or e-mail will not be considered. Review of
applications will commence on 15 June 2005 and continue until the
position is filled. The successful applicant will take up duty at Leiden
University on 1 September 2005 or as soon as possible thereafter. The
scholarship will suffice for the cost of living, accommodation and
medical insurance: for postdoctoral research E 22,700 (year 1), E 24,000
(year 2), E 25,300 (year 3); for PhD research E 16,000 (year 1), E
17,300 (year 2), E 18,600 (year 3), E 20,000 (year 4). The money for
years 2 and 3/4 will be made available on proof of satisfactory
progress, as assessed in years 1 and 2/3.

Information on Leiden University is available at www.leiden.edu.

Contact Info:
HWS Selection Committee
c/o Dr Oliver Moore
Chinese Studies, Leiden University
p.o. box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands.

Website: http://www.leiden.edu