Project Description:
The PhD project is associated with an ongoing research project at ARTES about the translation activities of the Ukrainian writer and intellectual Ivan Franko (1856-1916). In your research, you will use Franko's 'self-translation' activities as a base for a larger investigation into the history of literary self-translation as a multilingual and intercultural practice in Ukraine. It is a well-known fact that Franko wrote and published a large number of texts (including two novels) first in Polish and then translated them into Ukrainian or vice versa. He also translated some of his texts from and into German. Interesting questions you are going to research are: what is the motivation behind such self-translations against the background of the central or peripheral position of languages in the Danube monarchy? What translation strategies characterise this practice and what relationship exists in this respect between Franko's self-translations and the rest of his translation oeuvre?
In the next stage of your PhD project, you will try to find out to what extent the practice of self-translation is continued after the fall of the Danube monarchy, firstly in the language pairs Ukrainian-German and/or Ukrainian-Polish, secondly - and especially after World War II - for Ukrainian-Russian. In view of the feasibility of the PhD project (completion of the dissertation in 2029), it is advisable that you limit yourself to three interconnected case studies: the first on Franko, the second on a self-translator between the World Wars, the third on self-translation in the period from the mid-twentieth century to the present.
Candidates need to have the following qualifications:
- a completed Master's degree in in Slavic Studies, Literary Studies and/or Translation Studies.
- excellent research skills demonstrated by an outstanding Master's thesis and a demonstrable capacity to develop a track record of publishing in high-ranking journals and/or with leading presses
- a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
- enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
- good command of English, excellent reading skills in Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian;
- reading skills in German are a plus.
Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA
Application deadline: 15-3-2025
