The Sacred Secular Project
The Sacred Secular/Religiöses Säkulares project, funded by the Thyssen Foundation, is based at King’s College London and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, led by Dr Sarah Bowden and Prof. Dr. Susanne Friede.
This project will interrogate the categories of ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ and investigate literary production in a time of religious and social change. At its heart is a comparative investigation of how twelfth-century narrative works tackle religious content, practices and meta-narratives, which will allow us to open up new perspectives on the techniques, functions and challenges of vernacular literature. We propose a range of approaches, including: close reading; investigations of religious ‚framing‘ in indivudal texts and manuscripts; historical narratology; the exploration of intertextual and thematic relationships between secular narrative and more didactic, theological or biblical writings in Latin and the vernacular; and praxeology. The project is divided into three interlocking strands. Strand A explores the kind of creative thinking about religious topics that is enabled by secular narrative, and the literary possibilities it offers for intellectual engagement with religious thought. We consider here what happens when theological practices and problematics are transposed into narrative and are discussed without concrete frameworks of theological discussion in a new, literary form. Strand B focuses on time and space, central aspects both for the construction of narrative literature and for religious thought. Strand C considers the ways in which the fluid categories of the religious, sacred and secular are manifested or ‘embodied’ in non-human things, taking into account the agency of these things and how they relate to (or challenge) secular or religious norms. The PhD student will develop a dissertation related to Strand C, but will be expected to engage with all areas of the project.
The core project team will comprise the two PIs (Bowden; Friede) and two doctoral students, one based in London and one in Bochum. There will be fortnightly online team meetings, as well as annual meetings in person; the project will also organize workshops with a range of international scholars. The PhD student will be expected to participate fully in these events and to represent the project at further international conferences where appropriate. They will therefore have the opportunity not only to develop their own project, but also to work closely with an international and interdisciplinary community. Both Sarah Bowden and Susanne Friede are committed to an approach in which all voices are valued equally; although the PhD students will benefit from their expertise and experience, they will play a key role in shaping the intellectual direction of the project and be part of an informal, committed team of scholars working together.
The location of King’s in central London offers students unrivalled access to major international libraries, archives and museums, as well as the opportunity to attend a wealth of other meetings and research events.
Eligibility: Home-fee-status candidates as well as international-fee-status candidates are welcome to apply. The award will cover fees for both categories, for two years in the first instance. For more information about fee status in light of regulatory changes after Brexit, please see KCL’s Fee Status Assessment page.
Entry requirements: We welcome students with relevant backgrounds in medieval literature and culture. A Master's degree with Distinction (or equivalent) is normally expected but strong candidates with a Merit classification are also eligible. The student will need to be able to work effectively in both project languages (German and English). Please see KCL’s admissions webpages to view International entry requirements.
How to Apply:
You will be able to apply for the Sacred Secular Studentship in your application in King’s Apply to the German MPhil/PhD at KCL. You will need to have applied for both the studentship and the MPhil/PhD by 11 November 2022 (23:59 GMT)
A. In order to apply for the RESP Studentship in King’s Apply:
1. In the ‘Funding’ Section of your King’s Apply application, you MUST tick the box at item 5 (Award Scheme Code or Name) and enter the funding code: 022-SACREDSEC (please copy and paste the code exactly). This funding code must be added as soon as possible and no later than the deadline of 23:59 GMT on 11 November 2022.
If you submitted your admissions application before including the funding code, simply log back into King’s Apply to update the ‘Funding’ section of your application. If you experience any problems with this, please contact the admissions office via the messaging section of your application for assistance.
2. No application materials will be required to apply for the Sacred Secular Studentship in addition to the materials required for the application for the German MPhil/PhD, which include a personal statement, research proposal, transcripts, one reference, writing sample, and a CV. (Please see the prospectus for further details.)
Please ensure, however, that you demonstrate how your proposed research fits with the Sacred Secular Project in your Research Proposal (1000 words max.). See above for details.
Please also indicate in your Personal Statement how your previous education and research fits with the Sacred Secular project, and how you plan to contribute to its aims and objectives.
Finally, you are required to provide your CV, which should include information about your background, education history, skills, and any other interests.
B. In addition, please e-mail all materials required for application to the German MPhil/PhD (see required materials in Step 2 of “How to Apply” above) directly to [Email Address Removed]
Selection Process: Shortlisted applicants may be invited for a virtual interview, provisionally scheduled for November 2022. Applicants who are not awarded the studentship will still be considered for a place on the German MPhil/PhD. We hope to inform the successful applicant towards the end of November 2022.
*for two years in the first instance, with the potential for extension