Post-Doctoral Research Officer/Senior Research Officer - PHAIS in Colchester

The School of Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Essex seeks to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Officer to join the research team on Witchcraft politics (Hexenpolitik) across the sea. A new entangled history of early modern England and the Holy Roman Empire (HEXPOL), a project funded by the AHRC and DFG. The HEXPOL team is led by two Principal Investigators: Professor Alison Rowlands (Essex) and Professor Rita Voltmer (University of Trier, Germany). The Trier team also includes a doctoral Research Assistant and a Visiting Fellow, Professor Ismael del Olmo (University of Buenos Aires).

The project will challenge the unhelpful historiographical idea that early modern English witch-trials were intrinsically different from those in the Holy Roman Empire. It will establish the modes and content of communications about witchcraft, magic, and the devil across and between the two polities, regarding the seas that separated Britain from other parts of Europe as enabling, rather than hindering, the transfer of ideas and people (Work Programme 1: Demonology and Anti-Demonology: Communication and Maritime Transfer, led by Professor Voltmer). The project will also undertake a multi-level comparison of witch-trials in selected regions of England and the Holy Roman Empire using the analytical model of ‘witchcraft politics’ (Hexenpolitik), which we define as a constellation of policies, ideas, and social actors that combined to initiate and escalate witch-trials in some times and places, but which could work to resist or discourage witch-trials in others (Work Programme 2: Hexenpolitik and Heterogeneity, led by Professor Rowlands).

You will undertake research on specific regions of early modern England (primarily Essex and Kent) to explore the dynamics and patterns of ‘witchcraft politics’ there and to help establish modes of maritime transfer, especially in communities along the North Sea seaboard. Based at the University of Essex, you will collaborate regularly through online meetings and in-person workshops with the Trier team.

Skills and Qualifications

• You will have a doctoral degree in History or cognate discipline or equivalent professional experience or be close to completion of your PhD.
• You will demonstrate a strong interest in early modern European witch-trials and witchcraft beliefs, and expertise in the use of primary sources pertaining to these fields.
• The ability to read German and Latin, and to work with early modern English archival records are desirable skills.

Please contact the UK PI Professor Alison Rowlands for more information.

Commitment to Diversity

We are committed to work-force diversity and particularly welcome applications from those who identify as LGBTQ+ and from applicants from ethnic minority groups, as they are currently under-represented in our School. At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.

To support this commitment we have our staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based services, which hosts regular meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.