The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford is proud to announce that Professor Richard Parkinson has been awarded a Senior Research Fellowship by the British Academy for the 2023/24 cohort. This prestigious fellowship is a testament to Professor Parkinson’s outstanding contributions to the field of Egyptology.
Professor Parkinson, a distinguished scholar of Egyptology, is one of only eleven recipients selected from 130 applications, resulting in a success rate of less than 10%. His project, titled 'The Life of Sinuhe': A Reader's Commentary to the Middle Kingdom Version(s), has been granted £64,180 in funding.
'The Life of Sinuhe' (c. 1850 BCE) is heralded as the masterpiece of Ancient Egyptian literature and remains the most well-known literary work from that culture. This seminal text features prominently in biblical studies and comparative literature, and has inspired both a Hollywood film ('The Egyptian', 1954) and a recent play by Ben Okri ('Changing Destiny', 2021). Through a dramatic monologue, it explores cultural identity and exile, offering a rich source for understanding many aspects of Egyptian culture.
Professor Parkinson's research will provide the first comprehensive modern commentary on the Middle Kingdom version of the poem since 1916. This work will include a review of previous discussions, a full philological and contextual analysis, and a literary interpretation of the poem as a whole, drawing on experimental performances. This award was made in 2023-24 and Professor Parkinson's leave will take place in 2024-25.
The British Academy Senior Research Fellowships, funded primarily by the Leverhulme Trust with additional support from the Thank-Offering to Britain Fellowship, enable established scholars to concentrate on research by providing a year of dedicated leave from regular academic duties. This support allows for the completion of significant research projects.
The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies congratulates Professor Parkinson on this remarkable achievement and looks forward to the impactful research that will result from this fellowship.
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