In partnership with the Institut des Civilisations, Arts et Lettres (INCAL) and the Centre de recherche Écriture, Création et Représentation : Littératures et Arts de la scène (ECR)

Apply for the two-year post-doctoral fellowship as part of a PDR project "Belgium "read" in German and Czech: For a multilateral and non-hierarchical approach to cultural transfers"

This PhD research is part of a collective research project in the humanities in the following institutes and research centers:

• Research Center MODERNITAS, Maison des Sciences Humaines, Université libre de Bruxelles, ULB.
• Institute of Civilizations, Arts and Letters (INCAL); Center for Research in Writing, Creation and Representation: Literatures and Performing Arts (ECR).

Description of the project :
The project is intended as an original contribution to the historiography of cultural transfers and to the study of intellectual mediation networks in Europe between 1870 and 1939. The choice of a triangular model of analysis already advocated in connection with a France-Germany-Russia paradigm will be revised in depth to take account of a trans-regional dimension whose importance has since become fundamental in our field of research. The originality of our project lies in its “asymmetrical” dimension, through a comparison between so-called “national” and “regional” entities, a research method that we believe is capable of pinpointing the reality of transfers and mediation more precisely. The triangle of “Belgium - Bohemia - German-speaking countries” brings together places that have evolved between regional, multi-ethnic and/or national identities over the studied period. It thus reflects the (ultra-)contemporary theme of multiple and apparently contradictory affiliations, as well as the continuities and ruptures brought about by transfers. The project has three major objectives: 1. Data collection, creation of the database and its exploitation 2. Methodological and epistemological renewal of transfer studies via the case study of the figures of Czech-speaking and German-speaking mediators of Belgian modernist literature. 3. A contribution to the renewal of the historiography of European literatures.

Description of the position and function :
This research mandate, conceived as an integral part of the Modernitas research center, MSH-ULB will be conducted at ULB in Brussels, for a duration of 2 years (starting date: October 1, 2024) under the direction of professors Petra James and Hubert Roland.

It will be conducted in close collaboration with the research consortium and their respective research groups and networks. The successful candidate will be fully involved in the implementation of the collective dynamics of the project and its logistics, in close collaboration with the promotors of the consortium: workshops, seminars, international congresses, publications and cultural projects planned in the project as well as the constitution of data sheets. His/her own research work will also be integrated into this programme.

The candidate selected for the post-doc at ULB will work on the reception of Belgian authors in Bohemia from the perspective of critical dialogue with German reception. Indeed, the Czech reception of Belgian authors such as Émile Verhaeren, Maurice Maeterlinck, Georges Rodenabach or Georges Eekhoud will be studied as a dialogue between Czech critics (F. X. Šalda, S. K. Neumann, Otokar Fischer) and German critics and authors, such as Stefan Zweig, Emmanuel Schlaf and others. This dimension of the reception of Belgian literature in Bohemia has hitherto been understudied. Special attention will also be paid to regional magazines (in dialogue with Petra James' FER 2022 project) and to female mediators. Work on women mediators will begin by focusing on Renáta Tyršová, Eliška Krásnohorská, Pavla Buzková, Pavla Maternová and Marie Kalašová. All these female mediators played an important role in discussions of Belgian modernism in Bohemia, and their role remains understudied.

Required degree and main skills :
PhD in humanities in the field of Slavic or Modern Languages and Literatures with a literary and comparative orientation. Excellent knowledge of Czech and a good knowledge of German. Good communicative skills in English are also necessary, as well as at least good reading fluency in French.

Application and Selection Procedures and Deadlines :
Candidates are invited to submit their application in electronic format to petra.james@ulb.be ET hubert.roland@uclouvain.be, by June 30, 2024. Start date of the fellowship: October 1, 2024.

The application (to be written in French or English) will contain the following documents :

• A CV with a possible bibliography (including an overview of the results obtained and a copy of the PhD title)
• A letter of motivation (max. 3 pages) in which the candidate will succinctly develop his/her interest for the theme and his/her vision of the research project.
• A pdf copy of the PhD thesis or of a publication that can attest to the candidate's suitability for the project.

• On the basis of these documents, the candidates will be selected for an online interview. A final answer will be given by 15th July, 2024, at the latest.

ULB, through its gender policy action plan, intends to promote gender equality by ensuring equal opportunities. Further information can be obtained directly from the two promotors.