Post-doctoral Research Fellowship: History of the Circus in America

The Bard Graduate Center invites applications for a residential research fellowship at its campus on New York’s Upper West Side, from September, 2009 through January 2012. The BGC is a graduate institute affiliated with Bard College dedicated to the encyclopedic study of the material world. The successful applicant for this position will provide major research support for The Circus in America, an interpretive history exhibition currently being developed at the BGC and scheduled to open in January 2012. The exhibition explores the process by which the European circus was transformed in Gilded‐Age America into a distinctly American cultural form. The Research Associate will create the data and object bases for the exhibition and should be experienced in both textual and artifactual research. S/he will review the history of the circus in America, from its earliest days to the start of the twentieth century and identify and trace the emergence and diffusion of features contributing to Americanization. The research associate will create timelines, identify and assemble files for documents and artifacts potentially suitable for exhibition, and carry out other tasks as necessary for exhibition preparation. Travel required. Applicants should hold a doctorate in American history, cultural studies, popular culture, art history, or other relevant field. Familiarity with the history of the circus and/or popular entertainment of the nineteenth century and with museum exhibition protocols highly beneficial. Well‐developed research, computer, and Internet skills are essential, as are the ability to work independently and collaboratively as appropriate, willing attention to detail, visual literacy, and experience with objects and images.


Applicants should send a letter explaining their qualifications for the position, a vita, and names and contact data for three referees to: Chair, Research Department, The Bard Graduate Center, email: rac@bgc.bard.edu

Deadline for application: April 3, 2009.

The Bard Graduate Center is an equal opportunity employer.

Degree Programs: http://www.bgc.bard.edu/degree_programs
Research: http://www.bgc.bard.edu/research
Exhibitions: http://www.bgc.bard.edu/exhibit