Warburg Institute: Fellowships in Cultural and Intellectual History (2014-15)

The Warburg Institute is dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the classical tradition – in the sense of those elements in European thought, art and institutions that have evolved out of the cultures of the ancient world. Its Library and Photographic Collection are designed and arranged to encourage research into the processes by which one culture learns from another and by which different fields of thought and art act on each other. They are particularly concerned with continuities between the ancient Mediterranean civilizations and the cultural and intellectual history of post-classical Europe, especially in the period to c. 1800.

The Institute is offering a number of short-term Fellowships of two, three or four months for tenure in the academic year 2014-15:

Brian Hewson Crawford Fellowship
A Research Fellowship has been endowed from the estate of, and in memory of, Dr Brian Hewson Crawford, who graduated from the University of London in 1926. A two-month Fellowship is available for the study of any aspect of the classical tradition. Under the terms of the deed, the Fellowship is open to European scholars other than of British nationality.

Alan Deyermond Fellowship
A group of former students of Professor Alan Deyermond FBA (1932-2009) have established a fund to support a short-term research fellowship at the Warburg Institute. A two month Fellowship is available to undertake research on a project related to Spanish or Portugese literature, culture or visual arts before 1600 (with a preference for the Medieval period).

Henri Frankfort Fellowship
The late Mrs Enriqueta Frankfort endowed a Research Fellowship in memory of her husband Henri Frankfort, who was Director of the Institute from 1949 to 1954. The Fellowship, which will be for two months, may be held in any of the areas in which Professor Frankfort made his distinguished contributions to scholarship: the intellectual and cultural history of the ancient Near East, with particular reference to society, art, architecture, religion, philosophy and science; the relations between the cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Aegean, and their influence on later civilizations. The Fellowship is not intended to support archaeological excavation.

Albin Salton Fellowship
The late Mr Albin Salton generously endowed an annual Research Fellowship to enable a career scholar to spend two months at the Warburg Institute pursuing research into cultural contacts between Europe, the East, and the New World in the late medieval, Renaissance and early modern periods. The Fellowship is intended to promote the understanding of those elements of cultural and intellectual history which led to the formation of a new world-view, understood in the broadest cultural, political and socio-economic terms, as Europe began to develop contacts with the world outside Europe, and that world came into contact with Europe.

Grete Sondheimer Fellowship
A Fellowship has generously been endowed by Professor Ernst Sondheimer in memory of his aunt, Grete Sondheimer, who worked in the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg in Hamburg and in the Library of the Warburg Institute in London from 1944 to 1947. The two month Fellowship, may be held in any of the areas of interest of the Institute.

Frances A. Yates Fellowships
Dame Frances Yates, who died in 1981, generously bequeathed her residuary estate to found research Fellowships in her name at the Institute. Fellows’ interests may lie in any aspect of cultural and intellectual history but, other things being equal, preference will be given to those whose work is concerned with those areas of the medieval and Renaissance encyclopedia of knowledge to which Dame Frances herself made such distinguished contributions. A number of two-, three- and four-month Fellowships are available. Candidates domiciled in the U.K. may apply for three- or
four-month Fellowships only.

Brill Fellowships at CHASE
The publishing house Brill (Leiden) is sponsoring up to two annual research Fellowships at the Warburg Institute’s Centre for the History of Arabic Studies in Europe (CHASE). The Fellowships have been made possible by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for publishing, which Brill won in 2012.
Postdoctoral researchers may apply for a two, three or four month Fellowship for research projects on any aspect of the relations between Europe and the Arab World from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.


Details for Applicants

The Fellowships are generally intended for scholars in the early stages of their careers. Candidates must have completed at least one year’s research on their doctoral dissertation by the time they submit their application for a Fellowship and, if postdoctoral, must normally have been awarded
their doctorate within the preceding five years, i.e. after 1 October 2008. If their doctorate was awarded before this date, they should explain the reasons for any interruption in their academic career in a covering letter.

General Conditions

Those employed as Professor, Lecturer or equivalent in a university or learned institution may normally hold an award only if they are taking unpaid leave for the whole of the period. Those who have previously held a short-term Fellowship at the Institute or are registered at the Institute for a degree are not eligible for the short-term Fellowships listed above. The Fellowship may not be held concurrently with another Fellowship or award. Other things being equal, preference will be given to candidates who do not live within daily travelling distance of the Institute. Any other conditions applicable to individual Fellowships are stated above.

All Fellows will be expected to carry out research on the topic for which they have been awarded their Fellowship, to participate in the life of the Institute and to put their knowledge at the disposal of the Institute by presenting their work in a seminar and by advising the Library and Photographic Collection. Fellows may teach elsewhere during tenure of the Fellowship only with the express permission of the Director. They will be required to present a brief written report at the conclusion of their appointment. A Fellowship may be terminated if the Appointing Committee is not satisfied that the conditions of the award are being met. All publications containing results of work done with the aid of a Fellowship shall include adequate acknowledgement of the fact.

Value of Fellowships

The Fellowship does not provide a stipend but gives financial support
towards living and subsistence costs in London and towards travel expenses.
The values of the fellowships (at 2013/14 rates) are: £2,500 for two
months, £3,600 for three months, £4,800 for four months. The amount of
these payments is absolute; no additional costs will be paid.

Tenure

Fellowships are tenable at the Warburg Institute. Fellows awarded two- or three-month Fellowships must hold *at least three-quarters*of their award during term-time. The approximate term dates for 2014-15 will be early October to mid-December 2014; mid-January to mid-March 2015; late April to
the end of June 2015. Applicants should specify the length of Fellowship for which they are applying (see 1 below) but do not need to state in their application when they would wish to hold a Fellowship. Those awarded three-month Fellowships will need to stay at the Institute for a full three month period, i.e. for longer than one term. Those awarded four month Fellowships must hold them in one of the following fixed periods: 1 September to Christmas; 3 January to 30 April; 1 May to 31 August.

Selection

No interviews will be held. Shortlisted candidates only will be contacted in late January 2014 to ask them to submit samples of their written work. All shortlisted candidates will then be informed of the final outcome of their application in March 2014.

Applications

There is no application form. Applications should be made by email to warburg@sas.ac.uk by 29 November 2013, and should include the following information:

  1. Completed cover sheet (download cover sheet by clicking here).
  2. A curriculum vitae giving full details of name, date of birth, address (including email address) and present occupation, school and university education, degrees, teaching and research experience. Please ensure that you include start and end dates for all positions/scholarships/study periods etc held.
  3. An outline of proposed research (of no more than 1,000 words) and the title of your research project.
  4. The names and addresses of not more than three persons who have agreed to write, without further invitation, to the Director, Professor Peter Mack,  in support of the application. These letters of reference should reach the Director by Friday, 29 November 2013. They must be signed by the referee and sent separately by the referee direct to the Director of the Institute. References may be scanned and sent by e-mail to warburg@sas.ac.uk or forwarded in hard copy by post.  It is the responsibility of candidates to ask their referees to submit references by 29 November 2013.
  5. If you wish to add any additional comments you may enclose a covering letter. 

Notes

Please note: Candidates applying for more than one type of short-term Fellowship need only submit one application and should state on the cover sheet (see #1. above) for which Fellowships they wish to apply.

Please note that all application documents must be sent as a single PDF document by email to warburg@sas.ac.uk. Please name your application document as follows: Surname_ST Fellowship application, e.g. Smith_ST Fellowship application.

Candidates should NOT submit publications or written work with their application. Those shortlisted will be contacted in late January and will be asked to send material at that stage of the application process.

Closing date

Applications must be emailed to the Institute by no later than midnight on Friday, 29 November 2013.