The University of Lille invites applications for a fully-funded PhD programme to work within the „Textile Practices & Societies“ project that is funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR CPJ SHS 2024). The position is planned with a duration of three years and to be starting on October 1st, 2026.
The research environment
The University of Lille
Located at the crossroads of Northern Europe, between Paris, London, Brussels and Cologne, the University of Lille is internationally recognised. It welcomes approximately 80,000 students, including 10,000 international students, across 7 faculties, 8 institutes and schools, 29 campuses and 64 research units. As a member of the French Excellence Programme, it holds a strong position in education, innovation and research at both national and international levels. As such, it lies at the heart of the social, environmental and economic transitions and of the shaping of our societies. In this context, the joint HARTIS Research Unit (UMR 9028, Univ. Lille, CNRS, Ministère de la Culture, see https://hartis.univ-lille.fr/) is fully dedicated to bring together and foster multidisciplinary approaches to the study of past societies, of their cultural productions, and their knowledge systems. It is affiliated with the Graduate School in Humanities and Social Sciences (EG SHS 473, see https://edshs.univ-<https://edshs.univ-lille.fr/>lille.fr/<https://edshs.univ-lille.fr/>), which offers rigorous training that is both disciplinary and interdisciplinary and is strongly committed to its doctoral candidates‘ professional development and success, with a 96% employment rate after the completion of their PhD.
The research project „Textile Practices & Societies“
The funded PhD programme will be part of the „Textile Practices & Societies“ project that has been launched in September 2024 at the University of Lille and led by Prof. Audrey Gouy since then. This project explores textile practices in pre-Roman Italy (8th-3rd centuries BCE) with the aim to consider both their production (from fibre to fabric) and consumption (forms, uses, contexts) as markers of social, cultural, and religious identity in a context of intense interaction and migration up to the Romanisation of Italy. As such, the approach is interdisciplinary: it combines archaeological, iconographic, and literary evidences. More particularly, within this project, textiles practices in pre-Roman Italy are explored in relation to ritual performances linked to rites of passage such as birth,
marriage, and death. In those specific contexts, textiles played a key role, contributing to individual transformation and social organisation.
The PhD project
The dissertation on „Sound Ornaments in Pre-Roman Italy in the First Millennium BCE“
Research on textiles and adornment in Antiquity has recently experienced a „sensory turn“, placing thus greater emphasis on the materiality and experience of objects, and repositioning the body and the senses at the centre of analysis (Harris 2019; Harris 2022; Gouy et al. 2024). In this context, sound-producing adornments are key elements and constitute important vectors of multisensory experience. Beyond their primary function of embellishment, they serve as media of communication, exchange, and expression of self and identity, and thus form part of a non-verbal communication within a shared normative system. In Antiquity, such sound-producing adornments include any objects worn on the body and designed to produce specific sounds such as jingling, clinking, and rubbing.
The PhD project is planned to undertake a novel and interdisciplinary study of sound-producing adornments in pre-Roman Italy during the first millennium BCE. The successful candidate will primarily work with archaeological evidence, firstly focusing on funerary contexts. The broad geographical and chronological ranges of the study will make it possible to trace regional specificities, cultural transfers, and various forms of variability. The project seeks both to contribute to the definition of the regional identities that shaped pre-Roman Italy and to assess the impact of different population movements. In this context, particular attention will be paid to changes in ethnic and social identities, as well as to processes of transformation and cultural transfer, from the 8th century BCE with the arrival of the Greeks to the full Romanisation of the Italian peninsula.
The study is thus planned to tackle the following objectives:
* a typological and chronological analysis of sound-producing adornments in pre-Roman Italy;
* the mapping of these adornments by site and region, in order to understand them within their contexts of discovery, particularly within necropolises and regions where they were used and deposited, and in relation to associated artefacts;
* a comparative approach situating these adornments within a broader Mediterranean geographical and historical context, in order to identify specificities, influences, re-elaborations, circulations, exchanges, and transfers;
* an analysis of the functions and uses of these adornments from an anthropological perspective, with the aim to understand how they were worn, by whom (in terms of gender, age, status, social and cultural background), and in which contexts.
Supervision
The PhD will be carried out under joint supervision by Prof. Audrey Gouy (ORCID : 0000-0002-6151-3729) and Prof. Sandrine Huber (ORCID : 0000-0001-8842-7081). Moreover, an international collaboration is highly encouraged.
Funding and research support
The PhD programme is fully funded by the project „Textile Practices & Societies“ and is offered as a three-year contract (36 months). A dedicated budget covering computer equipment, IT resources, and research-related travels is secured within the project „Textile Practices & Societies“. However, the successful candidate will be encouraged to seek additional funding throughout their PhD to further support, expand their research activities, and develop national and international collaborations.
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Application
Complete applications are to be submitted in PDF format by electronic means by 7th May 2026 to the two following addresses: audrey.gouy@univ-lille.fr<mailto:audrey.gouy@univ-lille.fr> and sandrine.huber@univ-lille.fr.<mailto:sandrine.huber@univ-lille.fr>
Desired profile
PhD applicants must hold a Master degree in Archaeology or/and in Art History, or equivalent qualification, and demonstrate experience in Archaeological Sciences. They are also expected to be autonomous, independent, and innovative, with the ability to work in an interdisciplinary and international research environment (languages expected: French, Italian, and/or English).
How to apply
Please attach to your application:
* a curriculum vitae;
* a cover letter mentioning your research qualifications and interests; your experience in History, Archaeology and/or Art History; a prospective angle and plan of research for the PhD dissertation;
* the Master’s thesis (or equivalent work);
* academic transcripts and grades from previous degrees;
* proof of degrees;
* letters of recommendation (optional).
The selection process will include two stages of interviews: first-round interviews will be held on 18th-19th May 2026, and final interviews on 1st June 2026.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact audrey.gouy@univ-lille.fr<mailto:audrey.gouy@univ-lille.fr>
Verband der deutschsprachigen Forscherinnen und Forscher auf dem Gebiete des Griechisch-Römischen Altertums