Call for Applications
Research Grants in Jerusalem
For the Study of the Archives and Documentary Collections
held by the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem
Deadline: 31 May 2023
Within the framework of the Bibliothèques d’Orient (Libraries of the Middle East) Project launched by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF, National Library of France) in 2016 and of which the Custody of the Holy Land is a partner since November 2021, as well as within the framework of the scientific programme (Area 2: History, Traditions, Memory) of the Centre de recherche français de Jérusalem (CRFJ, French Research Centre in Jerusalem), the CRFJ and the BnF intend to award two or three research grants for a period of 3 to 6 months with a monthly lump sum of €1,875 thanks to financial support from The Mellon Foundation.
The grants, intended to support research and scholarly publications, encourage the identification, description and/or study of the collections (archives, printed documents and photographs) held by the Custody and which are the subject of a partnership agreement between the Custody and the BnF with a view to their digitisation, online dissemination on Gallica, the digital library of the BnF and its partners, and public use, particularly scholarly one.
The grant holders can be doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars or master’s level students, regardless of nationality or main institutional affiliation.
These collections are:
– The archives of the Pharmacy of the Custody as well as the medical and pharmacy volumes kept in the library;
– The old photographic collection, including approximately 4,000 glass plates;
– The collection of monographs and other volumes published by the Franciscan Printing Press;
– Selected items from the collections of Mamluk and Ottoman firmans held in the archives of the Custody.
Research projects may include all historical aspects, up to the 1950s, for which the concerned collections represent sources. Projects may also cover the history and description of the concerned collections themselves.
Grantees are expected to conduct their research projects between 1 September 2023 and 31 December 2024.
Applications will be examined by a committee composed of members of the three partner institutions and an external expert. Applicants will be informed of the results of the selection process by 30 June 2023.
Requirements Related to the Awarding of Grants:
The grants will be awarded in three installments, the first of which will be paid after the signature of the grant agreement to take place in person at the headquarters of the CRFJ in Jerusalem. The second will be paid during the grant tenure, and the third at the end of the tenure. As far as possible, payments will be made in euros to bank accounts located in the European Union.
The amount of the scholarship is a monthly lump sum of €1,875. All costs related to travel, visa, accommodation, compulsory insurance policies (medical, civil liability and, if applicable, repatriation) shall be covered by the grantees.
The CRFJ and the Custody will in no case be able to facilitate the grant holder’s dealings with the local authorities or vouch for the grantee, particularly with regards to the granting of visas or permits to stay in Jerusalem. For information purposes only, European passport holders can obtain a free unconditional entry visa valid for three months upon their arrival in Israël and have the visa renewed once for an additional three months by exiting and reentering the country.
The CRFJ will be ready to provide grantees with working space and equipment, and its director will act as scientific tutor. The Custody will give grantees access to documents and working space.
During the grant tenure, grantees will be expected to be physically present principally in Jerusalem, work towards an academic publication making use of the Custody’s collections, and deliver an oral presentation of their research project. At the end of the grant period, they will be required to deliver a written activity report.
Applications can be submitted in French or English and shall include the following documents:
– The filled and signed Application Form (see below);
– A research project (no less than 2-3 pages) clearly identifying the collection that will be the subject and/or source of the applicant’s project, the interest of this collection for the project, and, if applicable, the treatment to which the collection will be subjected (identification, indexing, description, etc.);
– A curriculum vitae;
– A cover letter (no more than one page);
– At least one letter of recommendation from a senior scholar or academic.
Applications should be sent by email no later than 31 May 2023 to f.klos@terrasanctamuseum.org with copy to geraldine.chatelard@bnf.fr, lemire.vincent@gmail.com and frastephane@custodia.org.
