The ERC Advanced grant project AGRELITA “The reception of ancient Greece in pre-modern French literature and illustrations of manuscripts and printed books (1320-1550): how invented memories shaped the identity of European communities”[1] , led by Prof. Catherine Gaullier-Bougassas, is now accepting applications for 2 postdoctoral or junior researcher positions (100%), starting on 15th February 2025.

AGRELITA is based at the University of Caen Normandy and is scheduled to conclude on 30th September 2027.

Contract duration: 12 months, renewable.

Project
Until now the reception history of ancient Greece (before Alexander the Great) in pre-modern Western Europe has focussed almost exclusively on the transmission of Greek texts. Yet well before the revival of Greek’s teaching, numerous vernacular works, often illustrated, contained elaborate representations of ancient Greece. AGRELITA studies a large corpus of French-language literary works (historical, fictional, poetic, didactic) produced from 1320 to the 1550s in France and Europe, before the first direct translations from Greek to French, as well as the images of their manuscripts and printed books. The study of these works and their illustrations (text and image’s dialogue and powers of each) analyses the representations of ancient Greece from the unexplored perspective of the elaboration of a new memory. French works and their manuscript and print illustrations are studied in relation to their political, social and cultural context, as well as in relation to works and their illustrations in related European literature. Situated at the frontiers of literary studies, book and art history, visual studies, cultural and political history and memory studies, AGRELITA proposes a re-evaluation of the role played by ancient Greece in the processes of identity formation in Western Europe. The project also aims to contribute to a general reflection on the formation of memories, legacies and identities.

The project is presented on the website: https://agrelita.hypotheses.org/

Tasks
The two postdoctoral or junior researchers will analyse the texts and images of AGRELITA’s corpus. They will work with the Principal Investigator, the team project, associate researchers and guest researchers.

Main Tasks:
- The scientific analysis of textual and visual representations of ancient Greece, of the links between texts and images
- The production of original scientific articles, which will be published in the collective volumes of AGRELITA and in specialised journals
- Representing the AGRELITA project at external conferences and study days in France and abroad, and publishing the papers
- Contributing to an anthology of texts and images (in collaboration with the whole team)
- The analysis of an already identified corpus of texts from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries and the identification of new texts that contain representations of ancient Greece (texts available in the form of modern editions or from manuscripts and prints from the 14th-16th centuries)
- The collection of data and the drafting of notes on the texts, authors, artists, manuscripts, prints, and Greek data present
- Participating in all AGRELITA activities: weekly team meeting in Caen, seminars, workshops, conferences…
- Contributing to the scientific organization of these seminars, study days, colloquia; identifying colleagues to be invited, making contacts...
- Contributing to the reception of invited researchers
- Contributing to the editing of the planned collective volumes (proofreading, correction, formatting of manuscripts sent to publishers)
- Contributing to the website and the blog
- Contributing to the reflection on the implementation and development of AGRELITA

Required skills
- PhD in literature of the Middle Ages and/or the Renaissance, PhD in ancient literature and languages, in the history of art of the Middle Ages and/or the Renaissance (manuscripts and illuminations, early prints, paintings and engravings), or in history of the 14th-16th centuries
- Excellent analytical skills of texts and images, as well as the relationship between texts and images
- Excellent command of modern French, both written and spoken
- Proficiency in scientific writing
- Good knowledge of Middle French and Renaissance French
- Palaeographic skills for reading and transcribing manuscript and printed texts (14th-16th centuries)
- Ability to master a large corpus and to conduct comparative studies
- Ability and taste for interdisciplinary studies
- Experience and/or willingness to work in a team
- Sense of initiative
- Ability to maintain a website and blog

Working conditions and modalities
- Location: University of Caen Normandy (Campus 1, Esplanade de la Paix), research centre Craham (Centre Michel de Boüard, UMR 6273, CNRS)
- Employer: University of Caen Normandy
- Type of contract: fixed-term contract
- Duration of the contract: 12 months, renewable
- Working time: 100%
- Estimated starting date of the contract: 15th February 2025
- Remuneration: Approximately €2800 gross/month, depending on experience
- Advantageous holiday arrangements

Contact: catherine.gaullier-bougassasunicaen.fr

Recruitment procedure
Application file to be sent in digital format (pdf) by 8th January 2025 at the latest to the following address: catherine.gaullier-bougassasunicaen.fr

The file should include:
- A Curriculum Vitae (Education, Experience, Publications)
- A letter of motivation, which explains and presents the interest for the reception of Antiquity between the 14th and 16th centuries
- A pdf of the thesis and a pdf of the thesis report (if applicable for the thesis report)
- A proposal for an original article on an aspect of the reception of Ancient Greece (before Alexander the Great) in pre-modern French literature (manuscript or printed works, their illustrations, maximum two pages)
- The names and contact details of two referees, at the end of the CV file