Postdoctoral researcher in Arabic Studies and epigraphy

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University invites applications for a fulltime Postdoctoral position in Arabic literature and history. The Postdoc will carry out research within the framework of the VICI research project ‘Land, space, power: Landscapes of the early caliphate,’ funded by the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) and led by PI Petra Sijpesteijn.

The great Arab-Islamic conquests of the 7th century CE set in motion transformations that fundamentally changed the social and cultural fabric of the Middle East, bedding in a package of systems, structures and ideas that continue to characterise the region to this day. What motivated these changes and why were they so enduring? This project aims to answer these questions in an entirely new way, by stepping beyond traditional approaches and looking instead at how the spatial and environmental system in which the Arab-Islamic project was enacted and by which it created a culturally invested landscape that embodied, reflected and perpetuated a specifically Arab-Islamic experience of the environment, even for its non-Arab, non-Muslim inhabitants. Bringing together religious and cultural topography, patterns of land use, and systems of government, LAND, SPACE, POWER traces the processes and narratives that fashioned the landscapes and geographies of the Arab-Islamic empire across political-administrative boundaries in (what are now) Jordan, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia from the Arab-Islamic conquest to the Mamluk takeover (650-1250 CE).

Besides the PI there will be three positions available within the LAND, SPACE, POWER team: two PhD candidates; and a postdoctoral researcher.

Postdoctoral project: Hajj routes

The PD will examine how cultural transformation manifested itself on pilgrimage and trade routes through connections with other periods and places. The introduction of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca added a new dimension to human mobility in the region which nevertheless closely followed existing road systems. The PD will start by mapping Hajj routes onto other road networks as described in Arabic gazetteers and travel logs and based on archaeological information about roads. By doing so they will develop a full understanding of how different road systems (trade, pilgrimage, postal) interacted. Identifying how pilgrimage routes interlinked with other road networks will allow for the necessary correction that pilgrims did not use one but rather a bundle of routes. The PD will examine how pilgrimage routes, per definition universal and eternal, that connect different territories across lands and waters, intersect with the notion of belonging through politically defined spaces.

To understand patterns of cultural transformation, the PD will locate physical interventions in the built and natural environment along the pilgrimage routes from Ifriqiya, Egypt and the Levant in the form of structures – hostels, wells, roads, passages, bridges – and written markings – monumental inscriptions and graffiti. This information will be gathered from published sources and through fieldwork examining and gathering inscriptions in situ. They will select some unpublished inscriptions for publication. The map that accompanies this research component will include the data from both components of the PD’s research.

Key responsibilities:

• Submit four articles (of which one co-published with a PhD and PI) for publication
• Present research at international workshops and conferences
• Co-organise a workshop with a PhD in the project
• Co-publish the workshop proceedings
• Conduct fieldwork
• Supervise and contribute to the creation of a visual representation (map) of material remains on hajj routes
• Attend regular in-person team meetings
• Assist in event planning and organisation
• Assist in promoting the project’s visibility on project websites

Requirements:

• A PhD degree in a related field
• Excellent (medieval) Arabic reading skills
• Experience in working with and thinking about inscriptions
• Excellent command of the English language
• Ability to develop original research
• Commitment to working in a team
• A willingness to embrace new approaches, including working with Geographical Information System (GIS) (no prior experience necessary)

Our Faculty/ Institute

The Faculty of Humanities is an international centre for the study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. We take culture broadly to include religions, philosophies, and worldviews as well as literature, art, and technology. We aim to contribute to knowledge, the sustainable well-being of societies, and the understanding of the cognitive, historical, cultural, artistic, and social aspects of human life. Our faculty is home to more than 7,000 students and 900 staff members. The researcher will hold a position in the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), home to a large group of experts on the Middle East and Asia from prehistory to the present.

Terms and conditions

We offer a fulltime, fixed-term post from 1 March 2025 until 31 December 2027, with a starting salary of €4,492,- gross per month (pay-scale 11.0 in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities), with additional 8% holiday money and 8,3% end-of-year bonus. The researcher may start at the appropriate step in scale 10 until they fully meet the requirements for scale 11 as specified by the Faculty of Humanities, particularly with regard to the number of years of relevant work experience.

Applicants from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

D&I statement

Diversity and inclusion are core values 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.