PhD or Postdoc position on Project “Vegan Literary Studies: A Textual History, c. 1776-1900” Funded by the Swiss Nation

Project description: Vegan Literary Studies addresses literary representations of the refusal to exploit animals as the paradigm for an ethical refusal to discriminate against all other living beings on the basis of race, sex, social class, nationality, etc. This project begins by documenting through bibliography the history of literary veganism in the US, to highlight the existence of this neglected tradition of activist thought. Metadata descriptions of all texts will be archived in an open-access database, for the benefit of future researchers. Samples of these texts will be edited and annotated for publication on
the project website, in order to bring to the attention of the public this long history of vegan thought. Through the work of bibliography and textual editing, the project hopes ultimately to propose a set of criteria that may define the category of “Vegan Literature.”

Methodology: The analytical methodology is based on bibliographical and archival research, close narratological analyses of primary sources, and historical/biographical research to investigate the authorial, social, and political relationships which provide insight into these historic vegan texts and their production.

Requirements: This is a research-based post that could be either a funded PhD or a postdoctoral research assistantship, depending on the selected candidate. The formal academic qualifications required are: either an MA or recently-awarded PhD in a relevant subject (e.g. American Studies, Literary Studies, Cultural Studies, History, Philosophy, Environmental Humanities). Some experience of interdisciplinary research or technical skills in the
field of Digital Humanities would be a distinct advantage. A high level of English-language proficiency (reading and writing, as well as oral expression and
aural comprehension) is a fundamental requirement of the post.

PI Contact: Prof. Deborah Madsen, Department of English, University of Geneva: deborah.madsen@unige.ch

The deadline for applications is 22 April 2022.
The starting date for the post is 1 August 2022.
Project funding by the SNSF is for 48 months, from 1 August 2022, and if necessary contract
duration can be negotiated within the 4-year maximum.