Postdoctoral fellowship in Southeast Asian Art History

Offer of a postdoctoral fellowship of 2 years in Southeast Asian Art History in the context of the project MANTRATANTRAM, “Monsoon Asia as the Nexus for the Transfer of Tantra along the Maritime routes” (ERC Consolidator Grant no. 101124214). MANTRATANTRAM is a five-year research project dedicated to the study of tantric traditions from the perspective of cultural contact between different communities across the geo-environmental region referred to as “Monsoon Asia”, approaching the phenomenon in a global manner and in terms of “connected histories” rather than in isolation according to distinct regional contexts, and emphasizing transregional maritime mobility. The project, led by Principal Investigator Andrea Acri, is hosted by the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE, PSL University) and the Groupe de Recherches en Études Indiennes (GREI, EA2120) in Paris.

Remuneration follows the current remuneration scheme for postdoctoral positions established at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, including contribution for public transport costs and other benefits. Possibility to receive funding for fieldtrips and conference participation.

The candidate will be required to carry out the following tasks:

- Study of a corpus of bronze statues from Central and East Java (ca. 9th–11th century) belonging to portable tantric Buddhist mandalas, in comparison with other similar artefacts from other regions of Monsoon Asia (India, Philippines, Japan, etc.).

- Material analysis of bronze statues in Indonesia in collaboration with Indonesian researchers.

- Identification of the possible textual sources of the mandalas, in collaboration with scholars specializing in Buddhist texts in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese.

- Participation in museum and field searches in Europe and Asia.

- Sorting and storing of images relating to art historical and architectural vestiges collected by the postdoctoral fellow and the project’s team members.

- Data management and drafting of the project’s Data Management Plan.

- Presentations in panels, conferences, and workshops organised by the project and by third parties.

- Publication of scientific articles related to the project topic in international scientific journals or edited volumes, in collaboration with other researchers if necessary.

- Advising the project’s Principal Investigator on art historical matters.

- Participation in team meetings (in person or via online communication platforms) on the progress of the work.