INTERCULTURAL TRANSMISSION OF INTELLECTUAL TRADITIONS IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD – A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Conducted within the scheme of the National Programme for the Development of Humanities, Poland, Module 2.1

Réalisés au cadre du Programme National pour le Dévelopement de Sciences Humaines de la République de Pologne

Presentation

An international team consisting of ten young researchers seeks five new collaborators to take part in a comparative study on the transmission of intellectual traditions between various cultures.

We will focus on texts and ideas as well as artistic models whose origins can be traced back to Antiquity and which were later either credulously received or deeply reworked, or even provided with completely new meanings and contexts. We hope that owing to the variety of our research specialisations not only will we be able to look closely at particular cases of intercultural transmission, but we will also be in a position of constructing a more general, synthetic model of the phenomenon we study, taking into account the differences between various historical periods and regions of Europe and the Middle Eastern world. Thus, whereas the case studies will allow us to grasp the complexity of our research problem, the synthesising efforts will enable us to characterise a broader tendency and a specific intellectual formation. Finally, we encompass the beginnings of the modern era in order to observe the mechanisms of paradigm transformation as well as the continuity and endurance of a tradition.

It is expected from all participants:

1. to take part in two working symposia in Poland (30-31 March 2012 in Torun, January 2013 in Warsaw),
2. to write a scholarly article in English dealing with a chosen case of intercultural transmission (according to their field of study) to be published in the collection of texts that is going to be the main result of the entire project.

It is envisaged that this collection will consist of contributions closely corresponding with each other and for this reason active participation in both meetings is deemed necessary.

The participants will receive remuneration in the amount of 3500 PLN (approx. 1000 USD) together with reimbursement of their travel and accommodation during the symposia. They will be also invited (but not obliged) to present their papers at the international conference scheduled for autumn 2012 in Warsaw and organized within the project framework.

APPLICATION RULES

The closing date for applications from doctoral students wishing to take part in the project is

10 February 2012.

The application must be written in English and contain:

1. CV (3 pages maximum) with the list of publications,
2. description of the proposed contribution to the project (500-700 words maximum, with bibliographical references if necessary).

The applications should be sent by e-mail to Adam Izdebski (adam.izdebski[at]fundusz.org) before the closing date - early application is strongly recommended.

Apart from these applications, we would like to ask for a short e-mail from a prospective participant’s academic supervisor, in which he or she would recommend the student and give her or his consent for a student to participate in the project. Please send these e-mails to Prof. Katarzyna Pachniak, the academic supervisor of the project (k.pachniak[at]uw.edu.pl).

It is assumed that submitting the application is tantamount to taking on the obligation to take part in both symposia and to send the preliminary version of the article by December 2012 and finally the text ready for publication by early March 2013.

More information on the project (in particular on the research topics of its current participants) will be available in mid-January on our website: www.intercultural.orient.uw.edu.pl.

The notifications on the results of the application process will be sent individually by no later than 20 February 2012.