The Institute of Medieval Studies (IEM), the leading Portuguese research centre in the field of Medieval Studies, welcomes applications for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PFs), from researchers interested in developing their projects within the framework of several scientific areas, such as Archaeology, Art History, History and Literary Studies, focusing on the following main subjects:

  1. Power Networks – Status, Political Culture, Diplomacy, Politics.
  2. The Uses of the Past – the construction of Memory and the reception of the Middle Ages in early Modern and Modern times.
  3. Medieval Europe in Motion – Constructions of Identities, dynamics of Otherness: mobilities, culture, travels.
  4. Medieval Visual Culture – Iconography and iconology, Image as presence vs. Representation, text- image relations, history of emotions, gestures and body language.
  5. Illuminated manuscripts – Technical Art History, Art, Law, Liturgy
  6. Religious Studies – Status, Mobilities, Devotions, Communities, Power and Gender
  7. Urban contexts – networks, hierarchies, communication, resistance, conflict management, landscape and communities, port, inland and frontier towns, urbanism.
  8. Rural contexts – villages, peasantry, agrarian production and systems, local communities, landscape approaches, social and political interactions
  9. Consumption and interaction with plants and animals
  10. Digital Humanities

IEM is the only Portuguese Research Centre that is solely devoted to Medieval Studies. It gathers around 75 PhDs and 33 PhD students from the scientific areas above mentioned, which provides a unique environment that is the result of methodological diversity approaches and inter- and multidisciplinarity.

With a strong internationalisation strategy, we believe that the IEM is the right place for Medieval Studies scholars to develop an international career focused on interdisciplinary work, framed within a comparative, transnational, and global scaffold, in which either macro or micro approaches and multiple methodologies are welcomed. The research environment welcomes creative and critical approaches to the Middle Ages, and we are developing a strong Digital Humanities hub to which the fellow’s research will contribute. In terms of public engagement and science dissemination, we have a considerable and relevant number of institutions with which we regularly collaborate, including Municipalities, World Heritage sites, Museums, Libraries and Archives, Schools, General Public Associations and specialised target audiences (like touristic guides or school teachers)

We welcome applications for both the European and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. Fellows will be expected to be active researchers at the IEM, participating in the activities of the Institute and promoting their own programme in collaboration with the Institute and its partners.

To apply, please send us the following documents and information:

  1. Title and short summary of the work plan, explaining the objectives of the proposal, methodology and outcomes expected (written in English, max. 3.000 characters);
  2. A detailed Curriculum vitae;
  3. A motivation letter, with a narrative description of your path until now (max. 3000 characters, spaces included);
  4. Copy of one relevant publication.

Submit your application via the email iem.geral@fcsh.unl.pt.

 By mid-July, the Institute will promote a training debate session (both presential and online) with the selected candidates.