What is the opportunity?
Apply for a paid Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship with the University of Leeds by 14 March 2023. This fellowship programme will examine the ecopoetics of traditional Mehri poetry.
The aims of the fellowship are:
- To create an open-access, community-friendly archive of traditional Bahīn, Haff and Danadon analysing the metephorical language of traditional ecopoetics. This will be recorded from men and women from al-Mahrah, and will address the human–nature relationship in the desert, the mountains, the coastal region and the sea.
- To collaborate with men and women local community members to re-value and produce ecopoetry in Bāhīn and in Danadon hemistich forms.
- To host two online poetry workshops for the Mehri communities in al-Mahrah. The aim of the online poetry workshops is to encourage younger generation speakers to disseminate traditional Mehri ecopoetry, to produce poetry of other types relating to the current environment, and to reflect on the effects of biocultural loss.
- To facilitate online collaboration between women poets in al-Mahrah and women poets in the Yemeni diaspora in the UK, to ensure that women’s voices are heard, responded to, and promoted.
The fellowship is part of the International Heritage Protection and Sustainable Development Research Fellowship Scheme funded by the British Council and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. The fellow will be required to come to the University of Leeds for a period of nine months in 2023.
Qualifications required
Essential
- A PhD in Mehri linguistics;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills and the ability to communicate effectively in Mehri/Yemeni Arabic and English (native-speaker or near native-speaker level);
- A strong background and knowledge in Mehri poetry;
- Demonstrable experience in conducting ethical research;
- A proven track record of peer-reviewed publications commensurate with career stage;
- Knowledge and experience of organising, archiving and cataloguing digital resource collections for external audiences.
Desirable
- Lived experience of Mehri communities in Yemen;
About What Works
The British Council’s What Works approach in International Cultural Heritage Protection aims to support better outcomes for cultural heritage protection and local communities by bringing the best available evidence and learning to practitioners and other decision makers across the international sector.
By sharing and translating informed research, decision-making approaches, best practices and lessons learnt, the What Works approach aims to promote further collaboration, contributing to more coordinated impact across the cultural heritage protection and development sectors.
How to apply
Visit the University of Leeds website to find out more and apply by Tuesday 14 March 2023.