Research Associate in Victorian Cultural and Material History

The Department of History at Lancaster University are seeking to appoint a Research Associate in Victorian Cultural and Material History. We are looking for a talented scholar of Victorian culture to join our AHRC-funded project ‘The Victorian Hand: Emotions, Embodiment, and Identity, Past and Present’ (AH/Z505948/1). This is a collaboration between Lancaster University and University of the Arts London (UAL): London College of Fashion. Lancaster University is research-led, ranked 10^th in the UK (Complete University Guide 2025), and is among the top 150 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2025). Meanwhile, London College of Fashion is ranked as the third best fashion school in the world (CEO World, 2024) and UAL is top two in the world for Art and Design (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Our collaboration constitutes a pioneering interdisciplinary exploration of the cultural meaning of the hand in Victorian Britain and its implications for embodied class, racial, and gender identities in an age of imperialism, industrialisation, and social and cultural change. We will combine our historical findings with an extensive programme of public engagement, working with a range of stakeholders, including surgeons, crafters, and students, to explore the hand and its work today. This is an exciting opportunity to join a major collaboration between two leading universities, addressing themes of both historical and contemporary relevance. It is a full-time appointment for a fixed-term of 24 months starting 1 February 2025 or as soon as possible after that.

You will work with Dr Michael Brown (LU) and Professor Joanne Begiato (LCF) to identity, record, photograph, organise, transcribe, and process research data from digital repositories and physical archives across the UK, enabling collaborative coding and analysis. They will work collaboratively with the project leads to shape the project’s online presence, lead on organising the project conference, and co-edit the resulting collection of essays. They will also be provided with the opportunity to prepare and publish their own single-author journal article using their research on this project. Appropriate support and mentoring will be provided. This is a great opportunity not only to develop a range of academic skills, but to produce substantive research outputs. 

You will have a doctorate in history (or related research field) and will have extensive experience of working with nineteenth-century source materials in both digital and archival repositories. Experience of using qualitative research software such as NVivo, as well as Omeka-S or other web-publishing platforms is desirable, as is experience of organising academic events, and presenting and publishing research. Those with prior experience of research on the Victorian body and/or material culture are particularly encouraged to apply.

Lancaster University is situated near the historic city of Lancaster. The North West of England offers high standards of living, beautiful countryside, including the Lake District, and excellent national and international transport links. www.lancs.ac.uk.

The post will be based at Lancaster University’s Bailrigg campus with agile working principles.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be made to Dr Michael Brown, e-mail: m.brown23@lancaster.ac.uk

You can visit the Department of History’s webpage at: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/history/ 

Please note: unless specified otherwise in the advert, all advertised roles are UK based.

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