The University of Sheffield Department of History is seeking to appoint a fixed term Research Assistant to work with Prof Julia Hillner on the project ‘Women, Conflict and Peace: Gendered Networks in Early Medieval Narratives (c. 330-735)’. The appointment starts 1 October 2018 and ends 31 March 2019.

The project ‘Women, Conflict and Peace: Gendered Networks in Early Medieval Narratives (c.330-735)’ will analyse how early medieval history-writing fitted women and their networks into stories of conflict and peace-building during a historical period that was marred by warfare, feud and religious conflict. The project seeks to enhance the field of early medieval gender history by moving away from the study of individual women and their relationships with individual men, to a quantitative large-scale investigation of women's social roles as presented in different narratives, using digital methods of network analysis that have never before been employed to study early medieval gender. The research is based on a selection of late antique and early medieval source types (hagiography, chronicles and church histories).

As a Research Assistant, your primary task will be to analyse a selection of late antique Ancient Greek sources, with a special emphasis on the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea. In close collaboration with the project’s research associate, you will mine these texts for information on female relationships based on the project’s network data model and prepare the data for analysis by the project’s principal investigator and scientific co-investigators. You are expected to attend project meetings held during the time that you will be working for this project. An appropriately qualified candidate may have the opportunity to work towards a joint publication with the project team.

Applicants should be highly motivated, have an excellent command of Ancient Greek and experience of studying gender in ancient and/or medieval societies. Applicants should demonstrate willingness to work as part of an interdisciplinary team and to engage with new digital technologies and methodologies. A good honours degree (or equivalent experience) is also essential.