Two PhD candidates in Museology and Archaeology – Faculty of Humanities, Amsterdam School for Heritage and Memory Studies

Research at the Faculty of Humanities is carried out by six research schools under the aegis of the Amsterdam Institute of Humanities Research. The Amsterdam School for Heritage and Memory Studies (ASHMS) is committed to the analysis of the remnants, collections, traces, spaces and narratives of the past in the present as well as the remaking of pasts into heritage and memory. As one of the six research schools, it currently has two vacant PhD positions as part of the EU-funded project Connecting Early Medieval European Collections (CEMEC), led by dr. Wim Hupperetz (Allard Pierson Museum – University of Amsterdam).

Applications are now invited from excellent candidates who wish to conduct museological and archaeological research on Early Medieval European Collections. One PhD project focuses on ’the museological impact of digital applications and their connection with the physical collections and space of the museum, the visitor flow, and the presence or absence of artefacts nearby’, and the second one on ’connectivity of early medieval European regional cultures from an archaeological-historical perspective in the scope of the digital heritage domain’.

Project description

CEMEC aims at pooling local curatorial knowledge, and the creation of (shared) digital content for exhibitions on Early Medieval Europe at participating museums throughout Europe. Through loans and the creation of digital contents, introduction movies, texts for publications, and other materials, CEMEC will enable its various partners to showcase their own, local, collections in the context of broader, pan-European developments during the early Middle Ages, without the need to lose focus on possible local interests and historical peculiarities.

Museological project (1): Despite the efforts of museums and exhibitions in Europe to host increasing quantities of digital contents in their presentation spaces, the integration of real and digital contents is still imperfect. As such, collections are often assembled without communicative criteria. The CEMEC project will develop and apply a new methodological approach to the general design of exhibitions and the communication systems used throughout development. This will examine the integration of digital applications into the physical space of the museum, taking into consideration museum visitor flow, the presence or absence of artefacts nearby, the interaction design, conceptual maps and the most ideal communicative registers to adopt.

Archaeological-Historical project (2): Whilst ‘the Dream of Rome’ (after Boris Johnson) and the Athenian concept of democracy in many ways may be seen as the ideological cradle of modern Europe, Europe as we now know it only (slowly) emerges in the centuries following the collapse of the Roman West. Many of today’s regional characteristics, such as languages (and dialects) and local identities, but also the formation of (some of the later) European states stem from the early Medieval Period. The unity that characterized the Roman state gave way to a kaleidoscope of states, principalities and local fiefdoms in the period 400 – 1000 AD. Yet despite major migrations and the political and cultural fragmentation of the former Roman west, connections between the various regions in the west and, indeed, the Roman East (including Egypt) were never severed. Nevertheless, most Early Medieval Period Museum collections are studied in isolation and exchange between the various European collections rarely takes place. The research should include the potential of the digital heritage domain in presenting the outcomes.

Tasks of the two PhD candidates will include:

• conducting (evaluation) research with museum visitors (1) and research on connectivity within early medieval European archaeology/history (2);

• completion and defense of a PhD thesis within four years;

• regular presentations of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;

• addressing opportunities from the digital heritage domain;

• publication of peer-reviewed articles;

• co-organization of expert meetings and international workshops;

• participation in the PhD training program of the Graduate School of Humanities.

Requirements

• MA (or equivalent) with excellent grades in museology (1) or early medieval archaeology/history (2). Substantial knowledge of museological discourse (1) or early medieval European archaeology/history (2) is required;

• good qualitative research skills;

• good academic writing and presentation skills;

• affinity and/or experience with/in the digital heritage domain;

• excellent communication, social and organizational skills;

• proficiency in Dutch;

• proficiency in English.

Salary indication: €2.125 to €2.717 gross per month, based on 38 hours per week

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Closing date: 1 August 2015

Read  more and apply here.