PhD position within the project LangPro

Professional Opportunities in the Early Modern Language Sector (1550-1650) (1.0 fte, 4 years)
The PhD candidate will be working within the ERC Starting Grant research project LangPro, funded for 2026-2031 by the European Research Council, and directed by dr. Alisa van de Haar (university lecturer in historical French literature at Leiden University). Prof. Nadine Akkerman (professor in early modern literature and culture at Leiden University) will be the co-supervisor of the PhD candidate.  

The project

The LangPro project examines the notion of the language sector in early modern North-West Europe: that part of early modern societies and economies which relied primarily on language skills. The early modern period saw a swift increase in occupational opportunities for men and women who possessed language skills such as reading, writing, and text editing in one or more languages. However, since language professionals have never been studied as a separate category in the early modern workforce, the possibilities that existed for linguistically skilled individuals remain a big unknown. LangPro’s central research question is: What professional, financial, and social opportunities did the early modern language sector offer to men and women in the Low Countries, France, the German lands, and England, between 1550 and 1650? Laying the groundwork for a new research domain on the history of the language sector, the project team will develop a prosopographical database that makes it possible to gain insight into the characteristics of professionals in the past whose core business was language and the nature of the sector that employed them.

PhD position: Early Modern Language Associations: Societies and Guilds in the Language Industry

This PhD project will examine how language professionals supported each other by uniting in guilds, societies, and associations in early modern North-West Europe. To this end, the PhD candidate will study early modern archives of guilds and associations related to the language industry in the Low Countries, France, Germany, and England, between 1550 and 1650. Studying the organisations that were related to the language sector is imperative for our understanding of the functioning of this professional domain: to what extent and how did guilds in the language sector verify and guarantee the levels of language proficiency of their members? In what types of conflict did guilds in the language sector mediate? What schooling did they offer?

This PhD project will yield new insights into the differences between various regions in North-West Europe regarding the forms of institutional support that was available to language professionals, the professions to which these organisations catered (e.g. language teachers, secretaries, etc.), and their functioning. It will thus yield crucial insights into the social functioning of the early modern language sector, as well as into the functioning of the guild system itself. Besides working on this individual research project, the PhD candidate will also collaborate with other team members in the LangPro project to build a database on early modern language professionals.

Key responsibilities

• Conducting archival research on early modern guilds related to the language sector in North-West Europe. An important part of this research will take place in archives in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and France;
• Completing a PhD thesis (in English) within four years;
• Contributing to the project’s collaborative database;
• Publishing at least two (co-authored) articles in peer-reviewed journals or volumes;
• Presenting papers at conferences, both in the Netherlands and internationally;
• Participating in monthly meetings of the project research group;
• Participating in the training programme of the LUCAS (Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society) Institute, the Leiden Graduate School of Humanities, the Huizinga Institute (Netherlands Research School for Cultural History), and other relevant masterclasses, summer schools, seminars, workshops, and events;
• Participating in the PhD community and the intellectual life of the LUCAS Institute;

• Subject to progress and demand, some teaching in the second and third years of your PhD project, in line with your expertise and prior experience.

Your profile

• You hold a ResMA/MRes or MA with a specialisation in history, early modern studies, or languages;
• Your ResMA/MA should be awarded by time of appointment, with a grade of 8.0 or above on a ten-point scale (distinction or equivalent) for your thesis. If the MA thesis is not yet finished, we invite you to provide contact details for your supervisor in your application letter so we may consult with them on your progress;
• You are willing to work up to 3 months in archives in the UK, Belgium, France, and Germany in year 1 and year 2 of the project, up to a total of 6 months for the duration of the project;
• You have well-developed research skills, including the ability to formulate creative research questions, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing;
• You have an interest in or affinity with the language sector, early modern archives, and guilds;
• You have experience with or are willing to learn about early modern (hand)writing in Dutch, English, German, and French;
• You have full professional working proficiency in English (speaking, writing, reading);
• You have professional working proficiency in German, French and/or Dutch, (especially reading), or a willingness to learn one of these languages. Knowledge of Latin is a bonus;
• You have proven time-management skills;
• You are a team player and independent thinker;
• You have the ability to finish the proposed PhD research in 4 years.

International candidates are encouraged to apply but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project.

The organisation

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University is a unique international centre for the advanced study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff members. For more information see: http://www.universiteitleiden.nl/.

Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is one of the seven Academic Institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The institute hosts a range of academic disciplines, clustered around a key research theme: the relationships between the arts and society. Our members study cultural production over the course of two millennia, from classical antiquity to our contemporary world, and teach in programmes ranging from Classics and Book History to Modern Literature, International Studies and Art History. Strengthened by our diversity, LUCAS members are uniquely placed to study the broad concept of the arts, with its rapidly changing ideas, aesthetics, and theories of cultural production. Through research, teaching and outreach, the Institute aims to deepen our understanding, both inside and outside academia, of the cognitive, historical, cultural, creative, and social aspects of human life.

As an academic community, we strive to create an open and welcoming atmosphere, stimulating everyone to get involved and contribute, and connecting scholars from different fields and backgrounds.

Terms and conditions

PhD project, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week; alternatively, the position can be 0.8 FTE for 5 years), starting date 1 August 2026. Initially the employee will receive a 14-month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from € 3.059 – 3.881 gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale for PhDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information, see http://www.workingat.leiden.edu/.

Diversity & inclusion

Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information

Enquiries can be made to the PI of the project, dr. Alisa van de Haar (a.d.m.van.de.haar@hum.leidenuniv.nl). Questions about the procedure can be directed to J. Dijkman (im-lucas@hum.leidenuniv.nl). Information about LUCAS can be found at http://www.universiteitleiden.nl/geesteswetenschappen/centre-for-the-arts-in-society  and about Leiden University at http://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en.

Applications

Please submit your application online (in English) via the online recruitment system, via the blue button at the top of this page, latest 15 February 2026. Applications received via e-mail will not be taken into consideration. Your application should include:

• Letter of application with a motivation statement of 1000 words max., in which you formulate your special interest in the PhD project and some first ideas about how you would frame/approach it;
• Your CV, listing education and relevant employment history, and any other academic achievements (conference presentations, publications, organization of events, etc.);
• Names, positions and contact information for two referees (no reference letters); please list these on your CV rather than filling them out separately in the system;
• A copy of your MA-thesis or a writing sample (if the MA-thesis is not yet finished);
• Copies of relevant course assessments (list of grades; certificates demonstrating language proficiency);
• A copy of your MA degree certificate or, if your MA-thesis is not yet submitted, contact details for your supervisor so we may consult them on your progress.

(Online) interviews will take place in the first half of March 2026.

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.