About the project
New Signs of Antiquity explores the role and functions of the Latin language in the public culture of Italian Fascism (1922 –1943).
“Rome is our starting point and our point of reference,” Benito Mussolini declared in 1922: “it is our symbol or, if you wish, our Myth”. Signs and symbols of Rome were every-where in Mussolini’s Italy, from the symbol of the fasces to the ‘Roman’ salute. The ancient language of Rome, too, was part of the Fascist ‘cult of Rome’. Apart from Dux and SPQR, Latin words, phrases, and even short texts featured in, for instance, banners, stamps, and inscriptions all over Italy. Mussolini himself exclaimed, in Latin: Civis Romanus sum.
An international team of researchers, centered on Norway, the Netherlands, and Italy, explores how and why Latin was deployed in Fascist propaganda. Particular attention goes to the uses of the language in Fascism’s material and visual culture, including public spectacles, grand-scale exhibitions, and architecture, as well as their ideological underpinning. The project also compares Fascism’s use of Latin with the ways in which other ancient languages and scripts (e.g., hieroglyphs and runes) have been used in other ideological contexts elsewhere. Additionally, the project team makes the recently rediscovered and difficult-to-find heritage of Fascist Latin texts available in an ever-growing online database, Fascist Latin Texts. The project’s Principal Investigator (Han Lamers) and Postdoctoral Scholar (to be hired) are based at UiO’s IFIKK.
Job description
The research assistant (2 years, 20%) will support project members, and especially the Principal Investigator, in the following tasks:
- Look for, gather, review, and systematize academic literature related to the project’s main topics, keeping a virtual library (Zotero-based);
- Look for, gather, and systematize Latin texts of the period under study;
- Transcribe, proofread, and prepare Latin texts for the ongoing online database (Fascist Latin Texts);
- Assist with different administrative/organizational tasks relating to the project (workshops, seminars, publications, etc.).
Qualifications and skills
- Qualifications: Master or Bachelor student in a discipline within the humanities. Knowledge of Latin is required.
- Personal skills: Well-organized, self-motivated, curious and considerate, goal-oriented, attentive to details.
- Communication skills: As the project relies on an international team, excellent skills in English are required. As it is based at a Norwegian university, excellent knowledge of Norwegian and/or another Scandinavian language is strongly recommended.
How to apply
Send a letter of motivation, full CV and grade transcripts (Bachelor and Master-level courses) to the PI, Han Lamers. Please also provide the names and (e-mail) addresses of at least two references.
Contract period: 15 August 2021–15 September 2023. Salary level: 373 400 NOK– 430 500 NOK (level 37-47, depending on qualifications).
Application deadline: 8 June 2021. Selected candidates will be invited for a job interview soon after deadline.