12-months postdoctoral position
English Studies / Performing Arts
PuppetPlays ERC
Within the framework of the European project PuppetPlays (AdG 835193) funded by the European Research Council (Horizon 2020) and led by Professor Didier Plassard, the Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 announces a vacant 12-months postdoctoral position. This position, intended for a doctor in English Studies or in Performing Arts, is focused on collecting and searching plays for puppet and marionette theatre from English-speaking areas (Western Europe, 17th-21th Century).
Context
PuppetPlays is a research programme about plays for puppets and marionettes, directed by Didier Plassard, professor of Theatre Studies, supported by the Université Paul-Valéry – Montpellier 3. Laureate of the “Advanced Grant” call for projects of the European Research Council (ERC) in 2018, it will be funded by the European Union for five years (October 2019 – September 2024).
The main goals of PuppetPlays are:
– collecting a corpus of representative plays from Western Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland) between the 17th and the 21th Century;
– identifying the characteristics of puppet dramaturgy and their variations depending on eras, cultural spheres, producing conditions and the aimed public;
– re-evaluating the contribution of these repertoires to the construction of a European cultural identity.
PuppetPlays has the ambition to:
- contribute to the development of tools and methods for the Digital Humanities through the creation of an online platform with a database, an anthology of texts, as well as several documentary and pedagogical resources for researchers, artists, teachers, students...
- enhance research on the very little known topic of playwriting for puppetry with the production of a conclusive monography by Didier Plassard and the organisation of two international conferences;
- stimulate and support young researchers in this area awarding two doctoral and 5 years of postdoctoral scolarships.
Access to all published results and all resources of PuppetPlays will be open and free.
Job description
Under the authority of the Principal Investigator and the Research Engineer coordinator of PuppetPlays, the post-doctoral student is expected:
To identify and to process corpus in English language
The postdoc will have to identify and process corpus of English texts held in museums or libraries (notably in London and Glasgow). These corpus are from different periods (between the 17th and the 21th Century), they may be available only in manuscript or typescript formats, and may have been written in regional dialects. In coordination with the PuppetPlays research team and the librarians or curators of the institutions involved, the post-doctoral student will take part in the corpus selection, in the digitizing, the OCR-processing, or the transcription of texts, as well as in the setting up of metadata with the view to their integration in the PuppetPlays database. He/She will also be in charge of the editing and the TEI-encoding of some of these plays (manuscripts, rare prints) in order to prepare their publication in the on-line anthology.
To contribute to the research programme and to its dissemination
The post-doctoral student will take an active part in PuppetPlays scientific events and dissemination actions (research seminars, conferences, public presentations of the web-platform…). He/She will help organising them and may be asked to translate documents in English or to correspond with English-speaking collaborators or partners of the project.
To author a scientific article
The postdoctoral student will author at least one article related to PuppetPlays, to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal; this article, as well as all other PuppetPlays deliverables, will be accessible on line in a free access deposit, following the principles of open science.
Qualification requirements
Knowledge:
Doctorate (PhD) in English studies or Performing arts.
English: minimal C2 level or native speaker. Candidates with demonstrated knowledge in regional languages and cultures are encouraged to apply.
Excellent knowledge of English theatre and literature.
Technical skills:
Good command of digitizing and OCR-processing techniques.
XML TEI encoding skills particularly appreciated
Good command of Mac environment.
Social skills:
Sense of organisation.
Intellectual rigour.
Sense of initiative.
Team spirit.
Curiosity.
Demonstrated interest for Digital Humanities and Open Science.
Conditions
Contract : 12-months postdoctoral position.
Required diploma: Doctorate (PhD) in English studies or in Performing arts.
Position beginning: September 2023
Salary: 2366,44 € gross / month.
Special requirements: Settlement in Montpellier (FRANCE), with some missions abroad.
Working place: Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3
Site Saint-Charles 1 – Rooms 022-024.
71, Rue du Professeur Henri Serre
34090 Montpellier - FRANCE
Supporting documents:
A copy of original PhD diploma (or certificate) + thesis defence report (if available).
A full CV with name, address, phone number, email address, educational background, previous positions, numbered list of publications as well as other relevant competences and professional experiences.
A letter of application in which the candidate motivates his/her application and argues for his/her qualifications for the position.
Application can be in English or French.
Send your application by email to didier.plassard@univ-montp3.fr and carole.guidicelli@univ-montp3.fr