Postdoctoral Research Associate (Arabic and Hebrew Sources)

About us

King’s History is an intellectual home for scholars of every region of the world, who use approaches which range from local micro-histories to large-scale quantitative analysis. We particularly value conversation between scholars of different periods and places, with different approaches. We also value the close connection between historical research and the world beyond the academy.

We are proud of our diverse, ambitious student body, and of the lively community of historians they form. 

About the role

The Department of History at King’s College London invites applications for one 2-year (24 month) Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to work on the project ‘ECOMEDS: Economic and cultural connections within Mediterranean ecosystems, c.1250-c.1550’ (a UKRI Frontier Research Grant, previously ERC).

The primary objective of PDRA (Arabic and Hebrew Sources) is to collect information regarding the production, consumption and trade of four target commodities (coral, honey, citrus and cheese), especially with regard to Muslim and Jewish communities, through research as part of a team that includes the Principal Investigator and two other Research Associates working on archival sources in Italy and the Crown of Aragon.

The ability to work with primary sources and related secondary literature in at least one the target languages is essential, although both languages is preferred. Ability to work with related materials in other languages is an advantage. The PDRA will expand their research skills through working with multiple sources across the study region and its zones of contact as feasible. They should have knowledge of the relevant history and historiography of the Mediterranean region, and the ability to connect this to the wider research questions of the project. An understanding of, and ability to use Islamic and/or Jewish legal texts and to be able to relate these to economic and social history would be an advantage, as is an interest in economic and environmental history.

In addition, the post-holder will be expected to attend project meetings, seminars and conferences related to the project, give conference papers, and publish research papers. They will also undertake any other reasonable duties associated with the project as required by the PI, or within the Department as required by the Head of Department.

Abstract of project:

The medieval Mediterranean was home to diverse religions, ethnicities, languages, and political entities spread across innumerable landscapes and seascapes—on land inhabiting a shared biome defined by fire and resistance to it, and encompassing a sea of enormous biodiversity, in a complex and dynamic ecosystem.

ECOMEDS examines the interrelationships between economy, environment and culture in the Mediterranean, c.1250-1550. The project combines the history of the plant and animal life of the Mediterranean with the production of highly sought-after location-specific commodities whose trade in the Middle Ages drew together networks of producers, merchants, processors and consumers from different places, polities and communities. Four commodities will be examined: coral, honey, citrus, and cheese, each representing a different facet of this environment, each embedded in the cultural and economic life of the Mediterranean and beyond, and each traded over long distances.

Together, ECOMEDS will tie the environmental history of the Mediterranean to its economic activity and cultural exchange, shedding light on the long-term genesis

This is a full-time (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed-term contract for 24 months starting from 1st September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

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