The Saxo institute at the University of Copenhagen is pleased to announce a call for application for a 3-year postdoctoral position in textile archaeology. The position is available half-time from 15 January 2023 and is funded by the research project Fashioning Sudan, financed by the European Research Council for 2022-2027.
Fashioning Sudan. Archaeology of Dress along the Middle Nile will investigate the rich corpus of archaeological textiles and animal skins excavated in Sudan and Nubia and dated from the Bronze Age to the Late Medieval Period. The project will merge different academic approaches (archaeology, textile & animal skin research, palaeoproteomics, and socio-cultural theory) to develop an interdisciplinary study of garments and highlight the entanglement of dress practices in the fabric of society.
The successful postdoctoral candidate will focus on the textile material of the medieval period, while contributing to the overall research aims of Fashioning Sudan. Textile research in Sudan has predominantly focused on the cataloguing of existing collections, excavated in the beginning of the 20th century and often without clear contextual information. Efforts have been mostly dedicated to establishing technical benchmarks, especially for weaving techniques. In contrast, the postdoctoral candidate will engage on a thoroughly archaeological study, combining the identification of raw material, the documentation of the textile chaîne opératoire, and – more importantly – the interpretation of the different uses of textiles during the life of the owner and within the graves. Together with the project’s team, the postdoctoral candidate will empirically and theoretically analyse the different types of garments and corresponding dress practices.
The successful candidate will be part of an international research group consisting of the Principal Investigator (PI), 4 postdoctoral fellows, and one research assistant based at the Centre for Textile Research, Saxo institute, University of Copenhagen, under supervision of the PI.
To be eligible for the position, the candidate should demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of Sudanese medieval history and archaeology, as well as a solid experience in textile research. Candidates with interests in database construction and digital content are also welcomed. In addition, the applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding to those achieved through a successfully completed PhD.