PhD Position: Medieval Literature 'Consent in Songs in European Narrative Traditions'

1. Introduction

Interested in curiosity‑driven research and medieval literature? For the ERC project CONSENT, you will study the theme of sexual consent in medieval European narrative songs.

2. Job description

As a PhD candidate you will conduct an independent research project within the CONSENT team. CONSENT examines the theme of sexual consent in medieval European narrative song texts (c.1300-1550). The project aims to unveil a positive, consent-oriented part of late medieval culture, by investigating how song texts helped medieval people to explore positive scenarios for behaviour in sexual relationships and to discuss the importance of mutual consent.

In your project, you will investigate the theme of consent at the courts of the Rhine-Maas-Lorraine region (c. 1300-1430). This region was famous for its sociable song culture, in which no clear separation existed between performer and listener but in which the audience partook in every respect. The love songs stand out for often adding a touch of humour to the more serious themes of the courtly traditions of previous centuries. You will investigate the hypothesis that this sociable song culture gave way to new literary expressions of love and sexuality, which functioned as conversation starters or role-playing games. The list of manuscripts presented by Frank Willaert in 2021 will be your core corpus. In addition, you will explore in what respects the Rhine-Maas-Lorraine song culture was related to the other regions investigated by the CONSENT team, mapping European repertoire connections.

As a PhD candidate, you will conduct your research independently at the Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH) under the joint supervision of Prof. Johan Oosterman (thesis supervisor) and Dr Cécile de Morrée (PI of CONSENT). In addition to writing your PhD thesis, you will present your results in written publications and at in-person conferences, both in the Netherlands and abroad. As part of the Radboud Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH), you will also devote part of your time to training and academic services (approximately six months). Candidates are also expected to spend a small number of hours on teaching duties.

For more information about the PhD trajectory in general, please contact Suzanne van de Liefvoort. For questions about this particular research project, please contact Cécile de Morrée. 

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in Dutch Literature, Medieval Studies, Comparative Literature, Cultural History or in a related discipline; or you expect to complete the degree before 1 September 2026 at the latest (in which case your Master’s thesis needs to have been graded before July 2026).
• You are a skilled philologist with an excellent knowledge of the Middle Dutch and Middle Low German language, literature and culture. Knowledge of High German and Middle French will be considered an advantage.
• You are a communicative person who thrives in a collaborative research environment.
• You have some experience in codicological and palaeographical research or are willing to acquire the relevant skills during your PhD project.
• You have an affinity with Digital Humanities, especially with network analysis and visualisation tools (e.g. Nodegoat, Gephi).
• You are able to conduct independent academic research and present your findings in scholarly publications as well as at international conferences, where you will exchange views with your peers.
• You have a good command of both Dutch and English, and excellent writing skills. A good command of German will be considered an advantage. 

4. We are

The Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH) is a research institute dedicated to exploring the present and past through the lenses of culture, history, literature and art. Our researchers collaborate with academic and societal partners to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of an interconnected world and provide context for pressing societal challenges such as inequality and climate change. The project is embedded within the research group ‘Intercultural Dynamics’. Within the project team, you will collaborate with Dr Cécile de Morrée (PI), Prof. Johan Oosterman and a postdoctoral researcher at the department of Dutch Language and Culture. 

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Cécile de Morrée. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete an additional assignment as part of the selection procedure. The first interviews will take place on 4 June. Any second interview will take place on 16 June. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2026.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.