6-month Post-doctoral Position in Spanish Theatre and Literature
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 6-months postdoctoral position. This position, intended for a doctor in Spanish Theatre and Literature, is focused on collecting and searching plays for puppet and marionette theatre from Spain (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 is funded by the European Union for six years (October 2019 – September 2025).
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 postdoctoral student is expected:
To identify and to process Spanish corpus for puppets and marionettes
The postdoc will have to identify and process corpus of Spanish texts for puppets and marionettes already published or held in museums, libraries, or private collections. 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 languages (Catalan, Galician, etc.). 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 https://puppetplays.eu. 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, public presentations of the web-platform…). He/She will help organising them and may be asked to translate documents or to correspond with Spanish-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 peerreviewed 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 Spanish Literature and Theatre or in Drama / Theatre Studies / Performing arts. Spanish: minimal C2 level or native speaker. Candidates with demonstrated knowledge in regional languages and cultures are encouraged to apply.
English: B2/C1 level.
French : B1/B2
Excellent knowledge of Spanish theatre and literature.
Technical skills:
Good command of Mac environment.
Good command of digitizing and OCR-processing techniques.
Social skills:
Sense of organisation. Intellectual rigour.
Sense of initiative.
Team spirit.
Curiosity.
Demonstrated interest for Digital Humanities and Open Science.
Conditions
Contract : 6-months postdoctoral position.
Required diploma: Doctorate (PhD) in Spanish studies or in Performing arts.
Position beginning: Autumn 2024 (depending on the candidate’s availability).
Salary: INM 490 to 589 (1958 to 2350 € netto per month, according to the candidate’s experience. Health insurance included.
Special requirements: Settlement in Montpellier, with some missions abroad.
Working place: Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3
Site Saint-Charles 1 – Rooms 122-124.
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.
Two recommendation letters (in English or French). These letters should be sent directly by their authors (and not by the candidate) to the Principal Investigator: didier.plassard@univ-montp3.fr
Application can be written in English or French.