Scientific Staff (Post Doc), Philological and Cultural Studies

45 Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies Startdate: 06.11.2023 | Working hours: 35 | Collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc)
Limited until: 14.02.2025
Reference no.: 1355  

Among the many reasons to research and teach at the University of Vienna there is one in particular, which has convinced around 7,500 academic staff members so far. They see themselves as personalities who need space for continuous striving for top international research and scientific excellence. At the same time they enjoy support and liberties that are not a given at other institutions. Does that sound like something for you? Welcome to our team!

Your field of research:

“Poetry Off the Page” is a five-year project, directed by Dr. Julia Lajta-Novak at the University of Vienna and supported by an ERC Consolidator Grant and the START-Prize of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

A vital field of poetic production, the spoken word in poetry has experienced a noticeable boom for more than half a century. Cultural phenomena such as jazz poetry, Beat poetry, dub poetry, and poetry slam have given rise to thriving performance scenes across the world. The proliferation of new technologies and modes of distribution – via archives, the internet and other digital forms – has made spoken word more accessible than ever before.
This project investigates the significance of poetry performance to recent British literary history, taking account of the aesthetic and political potential of oral performance in conjunction with the alternative institutional structures, publication channels, career pathways, presentational formats, styles, and poetic genres that have emerged from its dynamic performance scenes. Drawing on, and contributing to, the recent digital SpokenWordArchive.org.uk, we will historicise British poetry performance. We will also conduct in-depth studies on the intersections of spoken word with literary and performance traditions, on Black British spoken-word poetry, the British poetry slam, Irish spoken word, and the spoken-word play.
A core aim of the project is to articulate multifaceted theoretical and methodological approaches to poetry performance analysis. By revealing the vital role of oral performance in the history of Anglophone British poetry, providing new sources, and cultivating spaces for its study, this project marks a fresh intervention in British literary history and seeks to establish poetry performance research as a recognised branch of historico-literary enquiry.

Your future tasks:

The new postdoc will be in charge of the “Intersections: literary heritage & performance traditions” research strand. They will

• present at international conferences
• be present at – and help with – the second project conference https://allbordersblur.univie.ac.at/
• co-edit the journal issue arising from the conference and
• be in charge of an annotated bibliography online and
• of the project blog; they will
• interview practitioners (at least 5);
• write for the project blog (at least 1 entry of up to 3,000 words)
• write one book chapter; and
• produce 1 podcast.

This position is based at the Department of English and American Studies, University of Vienna, with possible travel to the UK and conference travel.
We will have a regular jour fixe in Vienna to monitor progress and enable a regular exchange of ideas.

Your personal profile:

• PhD in British or Anglophone Literary or Cultural Studies or a related discipline
• Expertise in (British) poetry / performing arts
• Excellent command of written and spoken English
• IT user skills
• Ability to work in a team, and to deadlines

The following additional qualifications would be desirable:

• Expertise in postcolonial criticism / Black British literature / British-Asian literature
• Interest in (literary) gender studies
• International research experience
• Experience in presenting at international conferences
• Experience in editing audio and video files

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours, remote/hybrid and/or part-time work (upon agreement).

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fixed-term contract and fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 4,808.70 (14 times a year, full time) for a period of 15 months increases if we can credit professional experience.

Equal opportunities for everyone: We look forward to diverse personalities in the team!

Application documents:

Font size: 11pt (minimum)
Language: English
Format: pdf

• Academic curriculum vitae in 1 page, including (projected) date of PhD completion and list of up to 5 relevant publications
• Letter of motivation, max. 400 words
• Full academic CV
• Full list of publications
• Relevant certificates/diplomas
• Two scholarly articles or selected dissertation chapters (in one pdf, with bookmarks)
• Contact details of 2 potential referees

For more information, see www.poetryoffthepage.net or contact Julia.Lajta-Novak@univie.ac.at.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Julia Lajta-Novak

julia.lajta-novak@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team! 
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

University of Vienna. Space for personalities. Since 1365.

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​Application deadline: 10/10/2023