The letters in the Medici Granducal Archive (Mediceo del Principato) constitute an impressive historical reservoir of Jewish history. The content of this vast collection—over six thousand volumes—opens new windows onto cross-sections of Jewish culture in early modern Italy and Europe. Only in recent years have historians of various humanist disciplines begun to assess this vast body of information. The great majority of these documents have yet to be explored. It is for this reason that the Medici Archive Project (www.medici.org) is offering an eleven-month fellowship (1 September 2013 – 1 August 2014) for conducting research on the history of Jews and Jewish culture, to be carried out on-site at the Archivio di Stato in Florence, working on the Mediceo del Principato. The selected candidate will be responsible for organizing, editing and preparing for on-line publication the copious archival material on Jewish culture gathered by Medici Archive Project research team and staff since 2000.
Applicants should have all of the following qualifications: a completed Ph.D. in any field of Renaissance or early modern Jewish studies; fluency in English and Italian (a knowledge of Hebrew and Latin is desirable); substantial research experience with original documentary material; commitment to a scholarly career involving archival research; significant publication record in the field of Renaissance or early modern Jewish studies.
The stipend is $43,000 plus an allowance for travel expenses, and may be renewed for a second year, pending available funds.
Please see this website for more details and application process.