Research Associate: Women in Syriac Christianity, 1500-1800

Location: Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6AH

Contract: Full time (37.5 hours / 1FTE) fixed term 

We are currently seeking a Research Associate: Women in Syriac Christianity, 1500-1800 to be based at the University of Oxford, Faculty of History, The Stephen A Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford OX2 6AH. This is an exciting opportunity for an expert in Arabic to work as a postdoctoral researcher on the Leverhulme-Funded project “Women, Manuscripts and Identity Formation in Syriac Christianity, c.1500-1800”, under the guidance of the Principal Investigator, Dr Lucy Parker. 

About the role 

Syriac Christians of the Middle East have long left their mark on history and its records. Yet Syriac Christianity remains relatively isolated within broader historical scholarship, largely the preserve of philologists and experts in doctrine and theology. Historical studies tend to focus on the monks and clerics who wrote most surviving Syriac sources, thereby excluding large parts of Syriac communities. Notably, those left out include Syriac Christian women, who have been the subject of very few studies. An ambitious study of Syriac women is long overdue and offers a chance to reset the field, looking beyond male, clerical elites to write a broader social, economic and cultural history. 

The successful candidate will be passionate about using Arabic manuscript materials and about uncovering little-known eastern Christian histories. You will be responsible for conducting research into Christian Arabic manuscripts to uncover and interpret material relating to the lives of women from Syriac Christian communities in the early modern period. You will use manuscript catalogues, online manuscript repositories, and in-person visits to manuscript collections, to uncover this material about women. 

About you 

You will hold a relevant PhD/DPhil, or be close to completion (submitted with no corrections anticipated), e.g. in Arabic/Syriac Christianity, Middle Eastern History. You will also possess excellent knowledge of Arabic and the ability to work with Christian Arabic manuscripts from the early modern period, along with the ability to manage own academic research and associated activities is essential. Knowledge of Arabic Karshuni and Syriac (though training will be given), and of other relevant research languages, such as Italian, Latin, French, Turkish, plus interest/experience in women’s history/gender studies, would be desirable.

Application process

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Lucy Parker, Associate Professor in Byzantine History at lucy.parker@history.ox.ac.uk. All practical and procedural queries should be sent to our recruitments team: recruitments@history.ox.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence; they will not form part of the selection decision.

As part of the online application process, you should provide a supporting statement setting out how you meet the selection criteria, a curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of two referees.

Only applications submitted online and received before noon Wednesday 19th May 2026 will be considered.

Please note that you will receive an automated email from our online recruitment portal to confirm receipt of your application. Please check your spam/junk mail if you do not receive this email. You may also receive updates on the status of your application via the same means.

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