진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

The Institute of History of the Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University is inviting applications for a

position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow (all genders)

to collaborate on an ERC project, Parish Politics in Early Modern East Central Europe, 1650–1800: The Role of Popular Politics in Late Catholic Confessionalization and Early Modern State Building, led by Dr. Béla Vilmos Mihalik. The project PARISH is the first comparative investigation of how popular politics shaped the late phase of Catholic confessionalisation and early modern state building in the Habsburg Monarchy and in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1650 and 1800. The project uses one of the most widespread local institutions in East Central Europe — the Roman Catholic parish — as its comparative framework. It explores patterns of communal supervision over parishes, the political instruments employed, and both the internal and external networks of communities across six Catholic dioceses of differing historical backgrounds in the region. The project examines the history of the conflicts and negotiations about communal participation in parish affairs, especially in the administration and management of parish property and assets, in the supervision of the parish priest’s pastoral work and adherence to norms, and in the organisation of local religious life. Through this analytical framework, the project aims to identify a distinct East Central European model of parish politics, in which local communities were able to influence manorial, governmental, and ecclesiastical decisions through mutual interactions and negotiations. By uncovering this largely unexplored dimension of popular politics in East Central Europe, the research provides a “bottom-up” perspective on late Catholic confessionalisation and early modern state building. The inquiry extends not only to local Catholic congregations but also to ethnic, confessional, and social groups that have so far received limited scholarly attention — such as Roma communities, Muslim and Jewish minorities, and non-noble women. We seek applicants with strong interest in the research field, and familiarity with the historical context of East Central Europe. The project particularly welcomes applicants interested in comparative, transregional, and interdisciplinary approaches. The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to take into consideration the cultural history of parish politics, the development of the communal church, and communal influence on early modern Catholic confessionalization and state-building in the following specific area:

Diocese of Transylvania

The researcher will be required to focus particularly on the legal frameworks of village self-governments and their contribution to the development of the communal church in a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional environment, the special role of Transylvanian Status Catholicorum in the reorganisation of the diocese, and the connection between parish politics and Transylvanian territorial government. The researcher is expected to analyse the practices of parish politics, the phenomenon of communal church, and patterns and limits of communal influence over late Catholic confessionalization and early modern state-building in Transylvania.