Postdoctoral Position in Jewish Urban Landscapes in Western Europe
What are you going to do?
The department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies is currently developing a centre of expertise in Jewish Urban Studies. We want to create an environment where the dynamics of Jewish urban cultures are studied diachronically and synchronically, with an emphasis on Western Europe in the early modern and modern period. As a postdoc, you will be part of this new initiative and play an important role in its development. Your own project will be at the heart of a larger collaborative research project, currently under construction, on the Jewish and non-Jewish perception and conservation of (former) Jewish sites and quarters in Western European cities after 1945. Using Amsterdam as a case study, your project will help build its methodological basis, by mapping the changing definitions, demarcations and meanings attributed to Jewish places and spaces in the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
You will be joining the project in an early, dynamic phase. This means that you will have the opportunity to help determine its course by contributing to the collaborative grant application, co-organizing international meetings, and working together with our new network officer to help lay the basis for a digital Atlas of Jewish Urban Cultures. Participating in our annual Travelling Winterschool is also a possibility. Throughout the project, you will work together closely with the two PIs, with the department’s graduate students, and with professionals from the Amsterdam Jewish heritage collections. You can also develop ties and collaborate with colleagues at ASH and at the Centre of Urban History in particular.
Your tasks and responsibilities:
As indicated above, your project, expertise and ideas will play an important role in developing an Amsterdam centre of expertise in Jewish Urban Studies with international aspirations. Your tasks and responsibilities will include:
- conducting research, presenting your results at workshops and conferences and publishing two peer-reviewed articles;
- contributing your expertise to the collaborative grant application and the digital Atlas of Jewish Urban Cultures;
- co-organizing an international conference;
- participating in the Travelling Winterschool;
- participating in meetings of the project research group;
- co-organizing outreach and dissemination activities;
- contributing to teaching.
REQUIREMENTS
We are looking for a team player who is passionate about Jewish history and heritage, enjoys exploring new research areas and formats, is keen to reach out to non-academic audiences and to translate academic results into societally relevant knowledge.
Your experience and profile:
- a PhD in Jewish history, culture or heritage;
- affinity with urban studies and Jewish sources;
- excellent research skills;
- a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
- enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
- excellent command of English and reading fluency in Dutch.
- Hebrew and/or Yiddish language skills are a plus.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
The Postdoc researcher will be appointed at the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures (MVT&C) of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam and will conduct the research in the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies. The employment contract will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with 2 years. The employment contract is for 30,4 – 38 hours a week. Preferred starting date is 01 April 2023.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and relevant experience, ranges between € 3,703 to € 5,439. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.
What else do we offer
- a vibrant, internationally oriented environment for Jewish Studies;
- excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
- an enthusiastic, inspiring and professional academic team;
- a Jewish research infrastructure (libraries, archives, collections) of world renown.
EMPLOYER
Faculty of Humanities
The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.
The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in de field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.
Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information about the position? Please contact (during office hours): Prof. dr. I.E. (Irene) Zwiep, T: +31 (0)20 525 2353 or + 31 6 280 36 122; Simon Speksnijder, M.Phil., is available for questions regarding the application procedure via ash-fgw@uva.nl.
