Postdoc researcher in NWO research project ‘The Holocaust in the Provinces’ – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Are you looking for a research position in a top Holocaust Studies project?
The NWO-funded project The Holocaust in “the Provinces”: Local Dynamics in the Nazi-Occupied Netherlands (1925 – 1950) was launched in January 2023 under the leadership of dr. Geraldien von Frijtag Drabbe Künzel and prof.dr. Ido de Haan (Utrecht University, Department of History and Art History) and dr. Dienke Hondius (VU Amsterdam, History). With two PhD students the team has started investigating how the Dutch local community´s specific political and social structures and cultural customs impacted the persecution of the Jews in the Second World War, and, vice versa, how the persecution affected these structures and customs. In order to understand the genocidal process at a communal level, and its specific structures and customs, the project covers the period from the years leading up to the genocide, as well as its immediate aftermath (1925-1950). For more details, see https://localholocaust.nl.
For the next years of the project, we are seeking a post-doc to develop a synthetic account of communal aspects of the Holocaust in the Dutch provinces. In terms of geographical scope, the perspective switches here from the local to the intercommunal scope, and to dimensions of persecution of possibilities of evasion and escape between local communities. A key-question is to what extent escape routes were paved by pre-existing intercommunal personal ties and networks. A crucial aspect of this position in the project is to digitally process larger sets of data and to visualize local dynamics and intercommunal exchanges in a digital atlas of the persecution of Jews in the Dutch provinces. For more details on the Postdoc research, see https://localholocaust.nl/subproject-3-intercommunal-intersections-in-jewish-trajectories-of-evasion-and-escape.
We expect candidates to have:
- completed their PhD thesis, or to be close to completing their PhD thesis
- proven affinity with and/or experience in using Digital Humanities methods
- an excellent track-record in academic historical research, preferably in the field of Holocaust Studies
- good social and communication skills
- good command of Dutch and of English
What we offer
Fixed-term contract: 1 year.
We offer a temporary position (0,8 FTE), for a period of 2 years. Employment will become effective on September 1, 2024, or, by mutual agreement, shortly thereafter.
On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of € 3.877,00 (scale 10) and a maximum € 5.090,00 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 0.8 FTE. The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended.
We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:
- a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
- 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
- solid pension scheme (ABP)
- optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
- contribution to commuting expenses
Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application.
How to apply
What to send: We ask you to send a letter (max 2 pages) about your interest in and suitability for this position, as well as a short CV, and a writing sample, chosen on the basis of relevance to the topic of the project, before March 24, 2024 (23:59).
Candidates who make the shortlist will be invited for an interview. These may be conducted in person in Amsterdam or online. Interviews are scheduled on April 8 and April 9, 2024.
Submitting a diploma and a reference check are part of the application process.
Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.
Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.
Additional information
For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Dienke Hondius (d.g.hondius@vu.nl) or Dr. Geraldien von Frijtag (g.g.vonfrijtagdrabbekunzel@uu.nl).