Applications are invited for a doctoral studentship on UNSEEN: Slavery and the European Encounter with Islamic Material Culture (1580–1700). This studentship is available from October 2026 as part of Dr Federica Gigante’s ERC-funded project UNSEEN which focuses on the role of slavery in the transmission of things and knowledge from the Islamic world to Europe in the late 16th and 17th centuries.
The studentship will fund:
- course fees up to the value of Home fees (students with Overseas fee status would need to fund the remainder of their fees from alternative sources)
- a maintenance grant for living costs at the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) minimum rate, which increases each year in line with inflation (£21,8050 for 2026/27)
Project Overview
The project will focus on the port towns of France, Spain, and Italy and their communities of enslaved galley-rowers of Muslim origins. During periods of non-navigation, these individuals turned into artisans and merchants, opened pop-up shops, and sold goods and remedies to local communities. This, Dr Gigante argues, brought into Europe technological and medicinal practices from the Islamic world and shaped the growing interest in Islamic culture among European collectors, physicians, and scholars.
Applications are invited for DPhil projects focusing on the role of enslaved individuals from Islamic territories in the circulation of Islamic material culture and related knowledge, with a particular focus on, Spain, France or Italy (projects focusing on Italy are preferred). Knowledge of the relevant European language/s for the proposed project is essential and some archival experience will be highly desirable.
While it is normally expected that applicants for the DPhil will have significant competence in one or more relevant Asian and Middle Eastern languages this position is open to people with no prior knowledge of Asian and Middle Eastern languages on condition that they acquire competence in at least one of them (preferably Arabic or Ottoman Turkish) during the DPhil programme (training will be provided). Please contact Federica Gigante to discuss the linguistic competence for this particular project
The project will be based at the Khalili Research Centre, the Faculty’s centre for research into the art and material culture of the Islamic societies of the Middle East and of their non-Muslim members and neighbours.
Supervision
The lead academic supervisor is Dr Gigante, an expert in the material and intellectual exchanges between the Islamic world and Europe, with a particular interest in the movement of objects, people, and ideas across the Mediterranean and their adaptation in new cultural contexts. She specialises in Islamic art and scientific instruments and has a background as a museum curator. Her previous work has been supported by various prestigious institutions, including the Royal Society, the Renaissance Society of America, and the Max Planck Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence.
Dr Gigante's research has already attracted considerable international attention, notably with her recent discovery of a medieval astrolabe held in a museum in Verona, Italy. This significant find has been featured in major international media, including The Times, The Guardian, El Pais, Le Monde, and The New York Times. More details on this discovery can be found here.
The student will be a registered doctoral student of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and will be able to participate in all the research activities and other opportunities provided for postgraduates with the Faculty, Humanities Division and the wider University.
How to Apply
You should apply to the DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies by Friday 19 June and we invite applications from candidates from all backgrounds and ethnicities.
Applications are invited from candidates with a master’s degree in early modern history or a related subject (please note that this does not include Political Sciences or related disciplines). Applicants should meet the entry requirements for the Faculty’s DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and are welcome to contact Dr Gigante at federica.gigante@ames.ox.ac.uk for queries about the required linguistic competence for the project.
Should you have any questions about the application process, please contact graduate.administrator@ames.ox.ac.uk.
