Nineteenth-Century Matters 2025 – University of Edinburgh

Outline
Nineteenth-Century Matters is an initiative jointly run by the British Association for Romantic Studies and the British Association for Victorian Studies. Now in its ninth year, it is aimed at postdoctoral researchers who have completed their PhD, but who are not currently employed in a full-time academic post. Nineteenth-Century Matters offers unaffiliated early career researchers a platform from which to pursue their research, while also organising an academic event on a theme related to nineteenth-century studies or a workshop focused on an aspect of professionalisation. The focus of their proposed research should be on the nineteenth century, rather than on Romanticism or Victorianism. There is no requirement for this research to relate directly to Edinburgh’s institutional specialisms, but areas of interest, in addition to the long nineteenth century, might include: Scottish literature; the history of the book; the Gothic; the history of reading; textual editing; environmental humanities; periodical studies; and travel and tourism.

For the coming year, the Nineteenth-Century Matters Fellowship will provide the successful applicant with affiliation at the University of Edinburgh, located primarily in the Department of English and Scottish Literature. The fellowship will run from October 2025 to September 2026. In addition to intellectual exchange and collaboration, the successful fellow will benefit from:

• Access to Edinburgh’s library resources, both physical and digital, for the duration of the fellowship. These include the university’s internationally significant Heritage Collections, which present many possible avenues for research in nineteenth-century studies. This includes an extensive collected of printed books and manuscripts, the former partly reflecting Edinburgh’s status as a copyright deposit library until 1837. Particular collections that might be of relevance include the Corson Collection of Walter Scott; the collection of the antiquarian David Laing (1793-1878); and the collection of the geographer, environmentalist and sociologist Patrick Geddes (1854-1932). Recent acquisitions include first editions of canonical Gothic novels including Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and work by female nineteenth-century novelists including Mary Shelley and Jane Austen.
• Access to collaborative research groups, as relevant, including: Scottish Writing in the Nineteenth Century (SWINC), which brings together staff and students with interests ranging across the long nineteenth century in Scotland and beyond; EDITION (formerly the Centre for the History of the Book), which supports new research in all aspects of the history of the book and textual editing; and the Edinburgh Environmental Humanities Network, which focuses on humanities-led responses to current crises. These and other groups at Edinburgh run a programme of research events that would offer the fellow opportunities for research dissemination, networking and professional development.
• Mentorship from Dr Gerard McKeever, Lecturer in Modern Scottish Literature, who will offer advice on research, professional development and careers.
• Free registration for the 2026 BARS Biennial Conference.
• Access to Edinburgh’s webinar functions to host online events, if desired.
• Access to room bookings to host in-person events, if desired.

There is no requirement for the Fellow to live in or near Edinburgh during the fellowship and permanent accommodation will not be provided as part of the fellowship. The primary purpose of the fellowship is to enable the successful applicant to continue with an affiliation and remain part of the academic community. It is a non-stipendiary post, and the fellow will need to support themselves financially. The value of the fellowship is £1,500. These funds are intended to support the fellow’s research project as they deem appropriate (paying for travel to archives, accommodation, and other research-related costs) and to cover the organisation of a research or professionalisation event related to their own research and/or development interests. It is also expected that the fellow will acknowledge BARS, BAVS, and the University of Edinburgh in any publications that arise from their position.

Application Process
Applicants should submit a CV with a proposal of their research topic and event (maximum of two pages), explaining how and why they would benefit from the fellowship. Applicants can propose research on any aspect of the nineteenth century, and we are keen to encourage interdisciplinary proposals which might include, but are not limited to: literature, history, geography, and library and information studies. Applications should be sent to Sarah Parker (s.l.parker@lboro.ac.uk), Cleo O’Callaghan Yeoman (cleo.o.callaghan.yeoman@stir.ac.uk) and Gerard McKeever (gerard.mckeever@ed.ac.uk). The deadline for applications is Monday 12th May 2025