The ERC Advanced Grant AGRELITA Project n° 101018777, “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” , directed by Prof. Catherine Gaullier-Bougassas (Principal Investigator), opens guest researchers residences.

Both the project and the team are described in the Hypotheses academic blog: https://agrelita.hypotheses.org/

This call for applications is open to anyone, of French or foreign nationality, who holds a PhD in literature, art history, or history, whose work focuses on the history of books, cultural and political history, visual studies, or memory studies, wherein the competences and projects are deemed to be complementary to the ones of the AGRELITA team. These residencies indeed aim to open the reflections carried out by the team, to enhance its scientific activity through interactions with other scholars and other universities. The guest researchers will have the opportunity to contribute to a major project, to work with a dynamic team that conducts a wide range of activities at the University of Caen Normandie and within the research laboratory CRAHAM where many Antiquity, Medieval and Renaissance times specialists work. They will also be able to publish in a prestigious setting.

The AGRELITA project is based at the University of Caen Normandie (https://www.unicaen.fr/). Caen is a city in the heart of Normandy, located only 2 hours from Paris by train. Residing in this city offers the chance to discover the rich medieval heritage of Normandy and to carry out research in nearby libraries, museums, and archives, with very rich collections (Caen, Bayeux, Avranches, Rouen…).

The ERC Advanced Grant AGRELITA Project
Until now the reception history of ancient Greece in pre-modern Western Europe has focused almost exclusively on the transmission of Greek texts. Yet well before the revival of Greek 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 ones) 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. These works and their illustrations – exploring texts/images interactions as well as the distinctive impact they have – show representations of ancient Greece we can analyze from a perspective that has never been explored until now: how a new cultural memory was elaborated. AGRELITA thus examines this corpus linked with its political, social, and cultural context, but also with the literary and illustrated works of nearby countries from Europe. Situated at the crossroads of literary studies, book history and art history, visual studies, cultural and political history, and memory studies, AGRELITA’s ambition is to explore how the role played by ancient Greece was reassessed in the processes of shaping the identity of European communities. The project also aims to contribute to a general reflection on the formation of memories, heritages, and identities.

Missions of visiting researchers
The ERC Advanced Grant AGRELITA Project is funded for six years (2021-2027) and has budgetary support available in order to invite researchers at the University of Caen Normandie (France), in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (https://ufr-hss.unicaen.fr/), and attached to the CRAHAM laboratory (Centre Michel-de-Boüard, Research Centre of Ancient and Medieval Archaeological and Historical / CRAHAM – UMR 6273, https://craham.unicaen.fr/), housed in the Campus 1, right in the city centre of Caen, very close to the castle of Caen.

Stays at the University of Caen Normandie may be 4 to 6 weeks length, and during the year 2026 may take place in May/June/early July.

Visiting researchers will work with the Principal Investigator and the AGRELITA team.

Visiting researchers undertake to produce research for the project during their stays in Caen as follows:
- they will write one paper (which must not exceed 50 000 characters, including spaces) published in one of the volumes edited by ERC AGRELITA (Brepols ed.), or in one of the team’s files published in an academic journal;
- they commit to present the topic of the paper or another topic dealing with AGRELITA’s research during a seminar session organized by the team;
- they will contribute to the Hypotheses academic blog: https://agrelita.hypotheses.org/.

In 2026, the AGRELITA project will focus on these lines of research:
- “Cultures of violence and female resistance: receptions of ancient Greek myths from the 14th to the 21st century, in Europe and beyond”;
- “The reception of ancient Greece in Europe through the dialogue between texts et images inside and outside the book (14th-16th century)”;
- A broader line of research: “Uses and exploitations of Antiquity memories, from the beginning of our era until the 21th century”.

Conditions for defraying mission expenses
Visiting researchers will receive, in the form of mission expenses, a maximum fixed amount of 2000 euros per month, based on all necessary receipts of the costs of stay in Caen (accommodation, transport in the Normandy region, and meal costs). A further maximum fixed amount is added to cover their travel expenses from their place of residence to Caen (round trip):
- travel from a European country (based on proof of expenses): 400 €
- travel from a country outside Europe (based on proof of expenses): 1200 €

The expenses will be paid following the mission. AGRELITA will not arrange visas.

How to apply
The application file must include the two following documents:
- a completed and signed application form, including the dates of the stay (during the period specified above);
- a curriculum vitae;
- a scientific project (2 pages) the candidate will be working on during his stay, dealing with the AGRELITA team’s research, from which the researcher intends to write the required article, due at the end of the stay. The provisional title of the paper is required.

Please send your application in a PDF document to the following addresses: catherine.gaullier-bougassasunicaen.fr and lorene.bellangerunicaen.fr
Application deadline: by February 15th, 2026.
More information about the ERC AGRELITA on: https://agrelita.hypotheses.org/