معرفی
Klazina Staat is an Assistant Professor of Latin Language and Literature and Roman Cultural History at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). She is affiliated with the Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology (ACASA), a collaboration between VU and the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on late antique and medieval Latin literature, particularly hagiography and patristics, with special interests in gender studies, travel literature, ecocriticism, and the socio-cultural contexts of textual production. She has held postdoctoral grants from FWO (Flanders) and the Independent Research Fund Denmark, and currently leads projects on mountain symbolism in postclassical travel narratives and religious devotion in late antique hagiography.
Staat's educational background includes a PhD from Ghent University (2014–2018) under the ERC project 'Novel Saints.' She has taught courses such as 'Text and Matter: The Meaning and Representation of Mountains in Antiquity' at VU's Research Master program and contributes to BA and MA programs in Classics and Ancient Civilizations. Her teaching emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to classical heritage, textual analysis, and material culture.
Her research projects include investigations into pilgrimage guidebooks (Itineraria), medieval monastic contexts, and the interplay between text and image. Recent work explores mountain symbolism as a site of ideological and ecological reflection. Staat has collaborated internationally, including at Oxford University and conferences on religious narrative. She co-organized the 2022 'Religious Narrative in Ancient and Medieval Literary Cultures' conference.
- Grants/Awards: Recipient of the 'Stairways to Heaven' grant (2023) for interdisciplinary work on religious communities and sustainable futures.
- Labs/Teams: Active in ACASA, contributing to collaborative research on ancient studies and archaeology.
- Future Work: Expanding studies on ecocritical approaches to classical texts, and the role of mountains in shaping cultural and religious narratives.
