Public Renaissance: Urban Cultures of Public Space in Early Modern Italy PhD Studentship – Art History and Visual Culture.

This PhD opportunity arises in conjunction with the exciting new collaborative European project led by Prof Fabrizio Nevola:

Public Renaissance: Urban Cultures of Public Space between Early Modern Europe and the Present and funded by Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA). A fully funded studentship (at UK/EU rate) for one PhD student to commence study in September 2019 has been generously provided by the College of Humanities, University to Exeter.

The central concept of the project is that of a “Public Renaissance”, by which we intend to examine both the urban cultures of public space in the early modern era, and to set this into dynamic dialogue with the recently invigorated discourse around the agency of public space in shaping contemporary events. An interdisciplinary team of architectural, social and cultural historians, in collaboration with non-academic partners from the museum/heritage sector, will probe the continuities and ruptures that shape urban spaces of the past in relation to contemporary urban interaction in the urbanised heart of Europe.

The PhD project will focus on two or more urban centres in Italy to develop, through archival and primary research, a comparative analysis of how built urban spaces and commissioned artistic programmes provided settings for social interaction across a range of social groups. Public Renaissance is a concept that evokes our non-elitist reading of Renaissance culture, exemplified by our focus on ordinary people and the everyday (e.g. public readings; preaching; social gatherings in the tavern; exchanges in the marketplace; performance of street-singers; distribution of popular prints; executions etc.). Your PhD project proposal will thus run parallel to the project activities and you will participate in project meetings and training.

You will have a previous degree in art history or urban history, some prior knowledge of Italian sources, and a desire to conduct archival research. Some prior training in digital humanities approaches (e.g. GIS) would be an advantage, although training can be provided through Exeter’s Digital Humanities Lab.

For more information about the project and informal enquiries, please contact the primary supervisor, Professor Fabrizio Nevola: [Email Address Removed]