Led by School of Advanced Study in collaboration with British Jesuit Archives.
CDA project description:
This collaborative project aims to reconstruct and recontextualize the Jesuit Antiquarian Book Collection at 114 Mount Street, London, highlighting its historical, cultural, and global significance. Established in the mid-nineteenth century, the Mount Street library, which is now preserved by the British Jesuit Archives, originally boasted a diverse array of books across literature, history, poetry, and theology. However, significant portions of this collection were deaccessioned, particularly in the late 1990s, leading to a focus primarily on theology and Jesuit history. This project leverages two nineteenth century manuscript catalogues—dating from the 1850s and 1890s respectively—as well as a rich and under-researched archive of letters and personal papers related to the provenance, dispersal, and sale of Mount Street’s books, in order to reconstruct the original scope of the library, to better understand the evolving nature of Jesuit collection policies in England, the provenance of some of their books, as well as the ways in which knowledges have been organised at 114 Mount Street.
Project outputs can take the form of an academic thesis; however, we encourage proposals that develop creative outputs, including the production of online or physical exhibitions, as well as digital resources.
For more information about the collaborative project, please contact Dr Michael Durrant (michael.durrant@sas.ac.uk) and Dr Lucy Vinten (lvinten@jesuit.org.uk).
CDA project team:
- Primary Academic Supervisor: Dr Michael Durrant (School of Advanced Study, University of London)
- Secondary Academic Supervisor: Professor Laura Cleaver (School of Advanced Study, University of London)
- Collaborative Partner Supervisor: Dr Lucy Vinten (British Jesuit Archives)
Specific requirements:
Applicants should have a good degree in a relevant discipline and a Masters-level qualification or equivalent which meets AHRC requirements. We encourage applicants with relevant work/professional experience to apply, as well as applicants from under-represented groups, including: people with hidden or visible disabilities; Black, Asian and Global Majority; first-generation university-educated; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+); lower income families and mature students.
