Positions are available for fivefully-funded Doctoral Students in areas of religious iconography and imagery and their political and cultural contexts from the Mediterranean world to South Asia, c. AD 200–800.

To be held at Wolfson College, Oxford in collaboration with the British Museum

Suitably qualified candidates from any country are invited to apply for one of five fully-funded three year DPhil studentships to start in October 2013.

Up to three of the studentships will cover full overseas tuition fees for students who are not UK or EU residents.

These studentships are part of a five-year research programme run jointly by the British Museum and Wolfson College, Oxford, funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

Applicants should have a master’s degree, or be studying for a master degree, in a relevant subject.They will need to have studied Archaeology, History, Art History, relevant Languages, the Study of Religion or Theology, with a focus on the Mediterranean,Middle East, Central Asia or South Asia, c. AD 200–800, for example, the Sasanian, late Roman and Byzantine, Kushan, Gupta and Early Islamic periods.

The students will be part of a large research programmeled by Dr JaśElsner, University of Oxford, to investigate how images and objects were used to construct and disseminate the rise of religious iconographies out of the confrontation of the traditions of Greco-Roman image-making, with those of a series of other cultures in late antiquity (c.AD 200-800). The geographic scope of the project is extremely wide, from Britain and Spain in the west to South and Central Asia in the east. Among the religions whose imagery will be explored are not only those that have survived (Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, as well as the polytheisms of India) but also many that haven’t, such as Manichaeism and the cults of the Roman Empire.

The programme seeks to address the following questions through detailed case studies and comparative exploration:

  • Why did new religious imagery and iconographies emerge in different religious traditions across parts of Europe and Asia in the period AD 200–800? To what extent were these independent or interdependent developments, and how did they enable the rise of new forms of political and religious authority?
  • What were the particular properties of images and objects – and text as imagery – in that period that made them especially significant in constructing, embodying and mediating new forms of political and religious authority?

The programme welcomes doctoral research proposals which address the theme of this research programme by exploring any of the following topics in any culture from the Mediterranean to South Asia c. AD 200–800:

  • The rise of new religious iconographies and visual mythologies, and the continuation or demise of older iconographies
  • The emergence and development of iconoclasms and an-iconic iconographies
  • Political authority and religious imagery
  • New arrivals and new religions in relation to existing iconographies: adoption, adaptation, spolia
  • The visual culture of cultural shift and conversion
  • Vectors of change of religious iconographies: impacts of migration, technology, trade, pilgrimage, travel and warfare on the transformation of culture
  • Syncretisms and identities
  • Magic and religion in material culture
  • Visual cultures of death and burial
  • Steppes, deserts, states and religion

The scope of the project includes a range of religious traditions during AD 200–800, including Buddhism, Christianity (Latin, Byzantine, Coptic, Syriac, Nestorian, etc.), Judaism, early Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Manichaeanism, Pagan polytheisms and Zoroastrianism. The cultures and empires covered include the Kushans – including Gandhara -, Guptas, Huns, Central Asia and Bactria, Iran, Arabia, Axum, Nubia, Egypt, Rome (Old and New), Goths, (Visi- and Ostro-), and Vandals etc.

Proposals should have a focus on imagery and material culture, including sculpture, painting, mosaics, coins, gems, portable objects, textiles, and arts of the book – text as imagery, architecture and sacred space.Proposals that seek to compare and contrast cultures or religions are welcome.

These studentships offer exceptional opportunities for both individual research in a specific area within the development of late antique art and iconography and for collaborative work, not only in the comparative history of late antique religion and art, but also between the academic study of the field and a close focus on the ways objects and collections have framed the approaches to it.

These studentships will provide opportunities to work with British Museum staff and research collections at the Museum. Members of the project will be supervised by staff at Oxford and at the British Museum, and will have the opportunity to learn the skills of hands-on curatorial expertise as well as pursuing a doctoral project.

The studentships will be held in the Ancient World Cluster at Wolfson College, Oxford.

The award pays fees, including College Fees, (for both UK/EU students and Overseas students) and an annual maintenance grant of £14,140 per year for three years. In addition, The British Museum will pay the student up to £1000 a year towards the costs of travel to research at the Museum and towards other research expenses.

Application process

Applicants must apply both to the University through the online admissions system (see links below) and separately in writing to the British Museum.

All applicants have to meet the standard entry requirements of the University to be eligible forthese studentships.

The closing date for applications is 18 January 2013.

Online application

Applications must be made through the University of Oxford’s online admission system:ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/index.html

Applicants must choose to be registered for a DPhil in a faculty appropriate for the main focus of the proposed research topic, and specify Wolfson College as the College of choice.

At the start of the proposal outline, it needs to be clearly stated that it is an application for one of the Empires of Faith studentships.

Written application

Applicants should also apply in writing to JD Hill at the British Museum:

This application should include a CV, a copy of the research proposal also attached to the online application and a covering letter outlining the proposed area for doctoral research, indicating how it fits with the aims of the programme.

If the application is accepted by the University and the department, the applicant will then be considered for one of the Leverhulme studentships. This will involve an interview on either 28 February or 1 March 2013, in Oxford. Applicants unable to attend in person will be interviewed by telephone or Skype.

Further information

Empires of Faith research project at the British Museum
britishmuseum.org/research/research_projects/all_current_projects/empires_of_faith.aspx

Ancient History, University of Oxford

ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/course_guide/ancient_history.html

Classics, University of Oxford

ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/course_guide/classical_languages.html

Classical Archaeology, University of Oxford

ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/course_guide/archaeology_s.html

Oriental Studies, University of Oxford

orinst.ox.ac.uk/general/dph_orientalstudies.html

History of Art, University of Oxford

ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/course_guide/history_of_art.html

For informal inquiries, emailJaś Elsner: