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Call for Applications

 

Doctoral Fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

 

The Mandel Scholion Interdisciplinary Research Center is now calling for applications for a three-year doctoral fellowship in "Remapping Elites in Late Antiquity: Jews, Christians, and Pagans." The fellows will be part of a research group devoted to this theme that will operate from October 2022 until September 2025 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

This research group aims at investigating the emergence of local elites in the Land of Israel and the Sasanian Empire within the larger context of Late Antique societies. Following Mischa Meier’s ground-breaking work (Geschichte der Völkerwanderung. 2019), the group’s joint endeavours will be based on the working definition of a local elite as an association, with more or less rigorous structures of organization, which develops a sense of self-awareness in social, religious, cultural and/or political matters and aspires towards positions of authority within society. The project will start with the large picture of Late Antiquity and initially engage in intensive discussions with leading historians of Greco-Roman and Sasanian history, who will join a workshop and participate in the group’s ongoing activities. Following these exchanges and methodological reflections, the group will embark on its proper work and contribute to current debates by three innovative steps: 1) focusing on Palestine and Babylonia and their relations with each other; 2) introducing Jewish elites, which are absent from general accounts of Late Antiquity and interpret them next to their pagan and Christian counterparts; and 3) using recently discovered sources, including results of ongoing excavations.

 

The group is led by:

Dr. Avner Ecker, Bar Ilan University

Dr. Avigal Manekin-Bamberger, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Maren R. Niehoff, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Dr. Yakir Paz, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

 

Additional information about the group, its aims and members, is available here.

We welcome candidates with excellent research qualifications and an interest in the topic from a wide range of fields in the Humanities and Social Studies. The Mandel Scholion Research Center is a center for excellence in interdisciplinary studies. It seeks to foster a wide range of critical approaches and welcomes candidates whose research represents the broad reach of human endeavor. Four candidates will be chosen to take part in the group’s work.

 

Terms and Conditions:

  • The recipients of the scholarship must register by October 2022 as doctoral students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
  • The recipients of the scholarships will enjoy excellent working conditions for the three years of the scholarship at the Mandel Scholion Center at the University’s Mount Scopus campus. This includes office space close to the project leaders and a yearly grant of 75,000 NIS subject to the rules and regulations of the Hebrew University bylaws for doctoral fellowships.
  • The recipients will be expected to devote these three years to writing their doctoral dissertations and to contribute to the group's research products. They are expected to be present at the Mandel Scholion Center four days a week and to participate in the activities of the group and of the Center, which is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the promotion of excellence in a wide spectrum of disciplines.
  • The recipients of the scholarship are not permitted to engage in additional work during this period, other than teaching or a research assistantship at the Hebrew University.

Eligibility:

Students who will be registered as Ph.D students in October 2022 at the Hebrew University may apply.

Application:

Applicants should send the following documents to: http://scholarships.huji.ac.il

  • Confirmation of their status as a doctoral student at HUJI in Fall 2022. If they are not yet registered, they must apply by 01/07/2022 and be registered by 1/10/2022 as a PhD candidate.
  • Research proposal. Please submit the proposal approved by the research authority. If the proposal has not yet been approved, please submit a short description of the planned project for the dissertation.
  • Research statement (2 pages), with a focus on how the candidate’s research can contribute to the work of the group and be enriched by it.
  • CV (2 pages)
  • Two recommendations from scholars familiar with the applicant and their work that will be submitted to the application website email.
  • Transcripts of BA and MA.

Deadline for applications: 6 March 2022

Interviews are planned for the week of April 3rd, 2022.

Contact information: scholion@savion.huji.ac.il