PhD Candidate in Arabic Studies

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University invites applications for a fulltime PhD position in Arabic literature and history. The PhD candidate 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.

PhD project: Placemaking through stories

This project has two goals: (1) to analyse stories in Arabic historical sources through which meaning was attributed to newly constructed and existing natural and built features of the landscape; and (2) to examine how religious and intellectual normative debates interacted with local practice and attitudes. How were contested notions of piety (holy men and historical figures vs religious authorities), power (local vs central), and function (ludic and communal vs educational and edifying) negotiated through the creation of the narrative of an Arab-Islamic landscape?

Using accounts of foundational myths for cities and monuments and stories providing explanations for the remains of buildings and other structures from earlier periods, as well as miraculous accounts set around natural features in the landscape, this projects aims to shed light on how the store of tales and communal memory conferred meaning on the lived environment.

The project combines (medieval) Arabic language skills with literary studies, history and memory studies.

Key responsibilities:

• Write a PhD dissertation
• Present research at international workshops and conferences
• Submit 2 articles for publication
• Co-organise a workshop with the PI
• Co-publish the workshop proceedings
• Supervise and contribute to the production of a visual representation (map) of landmarks featured in stories
• Attend regular in-person team meetings
• Assist in event planning and organisation
• Assist in promoting the project’s visibility on project websites

Requirements:

• Excellent (medieval) Arabic reading skills
• Affinity with memory studies, history and literary studies
• A Master’s degree in a related field
• 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 documentary and material sources and 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 PhD candidate 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 February 2025 until 31 January 2029. The appointment will initially be for 12 months and if evaluated positively, with an extension of 3 years and must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. The salary range for a PhD candidate is from €2,872,- to €3,670,- gross per month (pay-scale P in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities), with additional 8% holiday and 8,3% end-of-year bonuses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

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