Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) invites applications for

2 PhD positions within the NWO OC-L project IMAGES ON THE MOVE. Friendship Albums as Pictorial Networks in Early Modern Europe (1550-1700) (1.0 fte, 4 years)

The PhD candidate will be working within the NWO Open Competition-L research project IMAGES ON THE MOVE. Friendship Albums as Pictorial Networks in Early Modern Europe (1550-1700) funded by the Dutch Research Council for four years (2025-2029) and directed by dr. Marika Keblusek, Associate Professor at Leiden University.

The project
We are looking for enthusiastic, highly motivated, enterprising and excellent PhD-students to work on their own subprojects as well as collaborate in a research team.

In early modern Europe, students, humanists, collectors, naturalists, soldiers, merchants, civil servants, and women compiled friendship albums—alba amicorum, in Latin—containing paper traces of social networks, friendships, travel, and professional contacts. The pages of these personal volumes contain text—in the form of signatures, dedications, and mottoes—and an abundance of vivid images. Iconographically dense painted pictures, heraldic devices, costume studies and emblems in watercolour, as well as artists’ “signature” drawings figure alongside numerous printed images. IMAGES ON THE MOVE, the first scholarly and digital research project to investigate the rich pictorial culture of alba amicorum, will situate these pictorial microcosms within early modern visual culture in the era of print. The project will analyze the ways in which readers and viewers of pictorial books and printed images came to terms with this new visual language, by studying how diverse groups of users engaged and adapted it in their personal albums. The recent digitization of c.1500 alba amicorum allows for the systematic investigation of mobile vernacular imagery throughout Europe in the first half of the early modern period. The central aim of this project is to reconstruct through (art) historical analysis key components of a shared early modern European visual language, and to do so in a way that affords new insights into the use, reuse, adaptation, and interpretation of images across time and space.

Ph-D positions
IMAGES ON THE MOVE includes two PhD projects:

The two PhD-students will be actively involved in building the image dataset AlbumPics which constitutes the research materials of the entire project; they will thereby become familiar with the application of digital tools and methods. The dataset of images in AlbumPics will be studied from a two-fold contextualized perspective in 1. in the context of an album itself, that is the relation between images, contributions, and the album’s material make-up, and 2. in the context of other illustrated media, that is the relation between album images and other visual media.

PhD-1:
This PhD-project investigates the material contexts of pictorial components of friendship albums and studies the role of the visual and media professionals involved in the transmission and modification of these images. Was there a specific market for album pictures, and how did this marketplace possibly evolve? Were print- and book publishers commercially invested in album practices, and how? Who were the craftsmen involved in the execution of pictures for album owners and contributors? To what extent were album pictures selected and made by non-professionals, such as the owners or contributors themselves? What did this process of picture making include? How were the networks of people involved in the “album-business” constructed and maintained?

This PhD project will revolve around the collection and analysis of visual and archival sources (many of which located in Germany), using book historical tools and methodologies, to explore the relation between album images and the wider visual world in which they functioned.
Candidates are invited to submit a research proposal containing the design of one concrete case study (source, title, research question, historical context, theoretical/methodological reflection, analysis) around this subproject’s research questions. In their proposal, they should outline their suggested approach, main research question, and expected original contribution to the field.

PhD-2:
This project looks more closely at the role of the album pictures in the spatial frame of the album itself. Were album images tied to an inscription, and how was this link expressed? Can we see a change in the role of pictures as “independent” gifts from contributors? What kind of pictures were popular in specific chronological periods, and what iconographical motifs became iconic cornerstones in album culture over time? Who inserted an image, and why? Was a picture thought to be part of a series or collection of images? What does the insertion imply in terms of visual communication? Was the selection of certain images or pictorial themes related to social, professional, religious or gender characteristics of an album owner?

This PhD project will revolve around the collection and analysis of visual materials both in the albums and in separate printed format, using art historical and iconographical tools and methodologies to explore the relation between images, contributors, and the materiality of the album.

Candidates are invited to submit a research proposal containing the design of one concrete case study (source, title, research question, historical context, theoretical/methodological reflection, analysis) around this subproject’s research questions. In their proposal, they should outline their suggested approach, main research question, and expected original contribution to the field.

Key responsibilities
Both candidates will:

• Complete a PhD thesis within four years (1.0fte)
• Participate in meetings of the project research group(s) and events organized by the research group;
• Participate in building of AlbumPics, the database of album image that underpins our project;
• Participate in knowledge utilization activities;
• Present intermediate research results at (international) workshops and conferences;
• Publish at least one peer-review article (apart from the PhD-thesis);
• Participate in the training programme of the local Leiden Graduate School, the LUCAS Institute and the National Research School in Cultural History (Huizinga);
• Participate in intellectual life of the department and the LUCAS (PhD) community;
• Undertake some teaching in the second and third years of the appointment, subject to progress and demand.

Your profile

• You hold a ResMA/MA with a specialisation in art history, book history and/or history;
• Your ResMA/MA should be awarded by time of appointment, with a grade of 8.0 or above on a ten-point scale (distinction or equivalent) for your thesis. If the MA thesis is not yet finished, we invite you to provide contact details for your supervisor in your application letter so we may consult with them on your progress;
• You have the ability to finish the proposed PhD research within the allotted time;
• You have well-developed research skills, including the ability to formulate creative research questions, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing;
• You have an interest in / affinity with the conceptual ideas current in the interdisciplinary field of early modern art history, book history and visual culture, and are willing to engage with these ideas in an interdisciplinary manner;
• You have experience with or are willing to learn about Digital Humanities;
• You have full professional working proficiency in English; fluency in reading German is required; fluency in Dutch is recommended; some knowledge of Latin is appreciated;
• You have proven time-management skills;
• You are a team player and independent thinker.

International candidates are encouraged to apply but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project.

The organisation
The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University is a unique international centre for the advanced study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff members. For more information see: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/.

Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is one of the seven Academic Institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The institute hosts a range of academic disciplines, clustered around a key research theme: the relationships between the arts and society. Our members study cultural production over the course of two millennia, from classical antiquity to our contemporary world, and teach in programmes ranging from Classics and Book History to Modern Literature, International Studies and Art History. Strengthened by our diversity, LUCAS members are uniquely placed to study the broad concept of the arts, with its rapidly changing ideas, aesthetics, and theories of cultural production. Through research, teaching and outreach, the Institute aims to deepen our understanding, both inside and outside academia, of the cognitive, historical, cultural, creative, and social aspects of human life. As an academic community, we strive to create an open and welcoming atmosphere, stimulating everyone to get involved and contribute, and connecting scholars from different fields and backgrounds.

Terms and conditions
PhD project, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week, starting date 15 March 2025. Initially the employee will receive a 14-month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from €2.872,- to €3.670,- gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale for PhDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information, see https://www.workingat.leiden.edu/.

Diversity & inclusion
Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information
Enquiries can be made to the PI of the project, Dr. Marika Keblusek (m.keblusek@hum.leidenuniv.nl) Questions about the procedure can be directed to Jennifer Dijkman (im-lucas@hum.leidenuniv.nl). Information about LUCAS can be found at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/geesteswetenschappen/centre-for-the-arts-in-society and about Leiden University at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en.

Applications

Please submit your application via the online recruitment system, via the blue button at the top of this page, latest 8 December 2024. Applications received via e-mail will not be taken into consideration. Your application should include:

• Letter of application in which you formulate your interest in the PhD project and explain why you are an appropriate candidate for the position;
• Research proposal of 1500 words (excl. references and bibliography) in which you unpack one case study;
• Your CV, listing education and relevant employment history, and any other academic achievements (conference presentations, publications, organization of events, etc.);
• Names, positions and contact information for two referees (no reference letters); please list these on your CV rather than filling them out separately in the system;
• A copy of your MA-thesis or a writing sample (if the MA-thesis is not yet finished);
• Copies of relevant course assessments (list of grades; certificates demonstrating language proficiency);
• A copy of your MA degree certificate or, if your MA-thesis is not yet submitted, contact details for your supervisor so we may consult them on your progress.

Please indicate clearly in your cover letter and in your file title whether you are applying for PhD1 or PhD2!

(Online) interviews will take place in the 3^rdweek of 2025.

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.