2010 Arts and Humanities Research Council(AHRC) funded PhD Studentships-University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Arts and Humanities Research Council(AHRC)is Funding PhD Studentships at University of Bristol,United Kingdom
Introduction:
This four-year, AHRC-funded research project will explore the history of the reception of Thucydides and his history since the Renaissance, including the history of scholarship and criticism on the text, the changing interpretative frameworks and the use of Thucydides in modern debates about such subjects as citizenship and democracy, international relations and the nature of history. Remarkably, this topic has never been studied in detail or depth; in addition, the project will be breaking new ground by studying the reception of a classical author within the social-scientific tradition, taking a genuinely interdisciplinary approach to the subject. The research team will consist of Professor Neville Morley, a post-doctoral research assistant and two project students.
The project students will contribute to the project in two respects: by playing a full part in assembling and analysing the basic material on the history of Thucydidean scholarship and commentary in the first year, a task which will require the full efforts of all four members of the team and which lays the foundation for the rest of the project, and thereafter by investigating a particular theme in detail, thus broadening the project’s coverage. They will take an active role in the regular meetings of the research team, at which ideas and findings will be discussed to ensure the coherence of the project even while members are pursuing their own lines of research, and in the biannual research workshops. Depending on the theme of their own projects and on the successful conduct of the research, they may be asked to contribute to the Handbook to the Reception of Thucydides, the major output of the project; they will certainly play a full part, including presenting papers, at the concluding conference, and will be encouraged to consider how their work should be published from an early stage in the research.
One student will be expected to research an aspect of the modern reception of Thucydides as a historian and within the general field of historiography. The exact topic will depend on their interests and experience, but possible research areas include: the history of comparisons between Thucydides and Herodotus or Thucydides and Tacitus, their relative importance as influences on modern historiography and the changing valuation of each of them; the importance of Thucydides for a particular historian of classical Greece, e.g. George Grote or Friedrich Creuzer, or within a particular national tradition; the place of Thucydides, and especially his speeches or his methodological precepts, within debates about the nature of historiography; the place of Thucydides, or selected passages from Thucydides, within a particular educational context or tradition, and the way that this relates to broader conceptions of the work.
The other student will research an aspect of the modern reception of Thucydides within social and political theory or political philosophy. The exact topic will depend on their interests and experience, but possible research areas include: the place of Thucydides in the development of the concept of ‘realism’, within either political philosophy or international relations; the place of Thucydides in debates about nineteenth-century democracy; the role of Thucydides in modern debates about the idea of citizenship; the adoption of Thucydides as a model for intellectual endeavour and the relation between intellectuals and society.
The other student will research an aspect of the modern reception of Thucydides within social and political theory or political philosophy. The exact topic will depend on their interests and experience, but possible research areas include: the place of Thucydides in the development of the concept of ‘realism’, within either political philosophy or international relations; the place of Thucydides in debates about nineteenth-century democracy; the role of Thucydides in modern debates about the idea of citizenship; the adoption of Thucydides as a model for intellectual endeavour and the relation between intellectuals and society.
The project has substantial funding for research expenses, particularly the costs of trips to libraries across the UK and in Europe, both for work that supports the project as a whole and for the students’ own research.
Eligibility:
must have completed first degree, and either be studying for or completed Masters degree, in an appropriate subject area; given the interdisciplinary nature of the project, this would include history, classics and ancient history, philosophy and politics. It would be desirable to have a good command of ancient Greek and at least one modern European language.
Application Form:
Application forms for postgraduate research can be downloaded from the web site: http://www.bris.ac.uk/prospectus/postgraduate/2009/intro/8
Important Dates:
Deadline 30th April 2010
Source:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/scholarships/#thucydides
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