Two PhD Candidates and one Student Research Assistant for the NWO Project ‘Church and Slavery in the Dutch Empire: History, Theology and Heritage’

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 0.8 – 1

Job descriptions

Description of the Research Project
This NWO-funded research project studies the role of the Reformed Church in the Dutch colonial past. The project looks at the theological and exegetical arguments put forward by church and academic theologians to defend or criticize slavery, and at the concrete financial, social and administrative role of the church in slavery and slave trade (missionary, pastoral, the church as slave owner, investor, gatekeeper). Multiple perspectives are included (enslaved people, former slaves, indigenous people, mixed groups and white colonizers) and attention is paid to the legacy of slavery in today’s churches and society.
The research project is a collaboration between the PThU and the VU, with the University of Curaçao and NiNsee (the National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy) as partners.
For the full description of the research project, please visit https://www.pthu.nl/kerk-en-slavernij/. The project is envisioned to start on 1 January 2023.

Your duties
PhD Candidate 1 (VU):
Your PhD project is entitled ‘Slavery, Church and Co-Existence in the Dutch Colonial Empire till the 19th century’. You will focus on the prescriptive, mediating and controlling role of the local church in the actual co-existence of the various communities, within the boundaries set by the magistrate or the trading companies, during the heyday of enslavement and slave trade until the early 19th century. After a period of general data collection in East and West, you will focus on a part of the former Dutch colonial empire (e.g., Indonesia or Sri Lanka). In your archival studies your read and analyze the (white) sources against the grain with a multi-faceted approach to be able to detect and include counter-voices and the voice of enslaved and free blacks and indigenous people (decolonizing the archives).

PhD Candidate 2 (PThU):
Your PhD project is entitled ‘The Reformed Church in the Dutch Colonial Empire since approximately 1830: Impact and Response’. You will focus on the role of the church in the period immediately before and after the abolition of slavery (1860-1863). After a period of general data collection in East and West, you will focus on a case study in the western part of the former Dutch colonial empire (e.g., Surinam or Curaçao). In addition to archival research, you will conduct anthropological fieldwork on oral history in its various manifestations (songs, family stories) and on material heritage, so that the perspective of (formerly) enslaved people, Asian contract laborers and indigenous people is also reflected in the research. In your analysis, you will make use of concepts such as race, religion, colour, class and gender.

Student Research Assistant (PThU):
As a student research assistant you will be responsible for supporting both the organization of the research project, as well as the processing of the obtained data. You will be involved with the practical preparation of the seminars and conferences and you will digitalize and order raw data within Excel, supporting the team members in organizing and filling the project’s database.

What do we expect from you?
For the PhD Candidates:

• To submit a PhD thesis on the abovementioned topic within the period of appointment
• To complete and submit at least two articles for an international, peer-reviewed journal within the period of appointment, as well as to contribute to the project’s edited volume(s)
• To participate in seminars and conferences organized in the framework of the project
• To participate in the PhD training programs of one of the universities and a national research school

For the Student Research Assistant:

• To assist and support the team members of the project (organizing meetings, taking minutes, etc.)
• To assist in the editing of the project’s edited volume(s)
• To assist in digitalizing and ordering data and to help storing these data in the database
• To assist in public communication and communication with the project’s stakeholders through, e.g., website maintenance, social media promotion, possibly newsletters

Requirements

For the PhD Candidates:

• A relevant master’s degree in Theology/Religious Studies, History, Anthropology, Humanities or Social Sciences
• A promising academic profile and affinity with topics such as Slavery, Colonialism and Religion/Church History as apparent from activities within and/or outside the context of your studies
• Experience in working with early-modern sources in Dutch and/or anthropological fieldwork experience
• Knowledge of a local language (e.g., Papiamento, Sranan Tongo, Bahasa Indonesia) is not required, but is considered an advantage
• Motivation and ability to work as part of a research team, in particular with the other PhD Candidate in data collecting
• Excellent spoken and written English as well as strong academic writing skills

For the Research Assistant:

• Enrolment in a relevant master’s program or in the final phase of a relevant bachelor’s program
• A promising academic profile with an interest in conducting research
• Good organizational skills
• Good knowledge and understanding of technology (website maintenance, database, Excel, Outlook)
• Excellent spoken and written English
• 8 hours per week available (most of which you can allocate yourself); you are (as much as possible) present during the regular meetings.

What are we offering?

We offer our PhD Candidates the following:

• An employment contract of 1,0 fte (full time equivalent; 0,8 fte is possible as well) for one year (workweek of 38 hours). After a positive result of the assessment of progress an extension of 3 years will be offered.
• Your salary will be according to the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. This starts from a gross salary of €2.541,- per month in the first year of employment to a maximum gross salary of €3.247,- per month.
• You will have a specific budget for conference and symposia participation as well as for any other competence training activities.

We offer our Student Research Assistant the following:

• An employment contract of 0,2 fte for one year (workweek of 38 hours), with the possibility of extension.
• Your salary will be according to the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. This starts from a gross salary of € 2.402,- per month for full time.

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities links a number of fields of study: Language, Literature and Communication, Art & Culture, History, Antiquities and Philosophy. Our teaching and research focus on current societal and scientific themes: from artificial intelligence to visual culture, from urbanization to the history of slavery, from ‘fake news’ in journalism to communication in organizations. We strive to ensure small group sizes. Innovative education and interdisciplinary research are our hallmarks.

Working at the Faculty of Humanities means making a real contribution to the quality of leading education and research in an inspiring and personal work and study climate. We employ more than 350 staff members, and we are home to around 2,000 students.

About the department, institute, project
We offer a large and inspiring team of scholars from various backgrounds and disciplines, ranging from biblical studies and church and colonial history to anthropology and gender studies, as well as a research project that covers both a long period of European and colonial history and societies in several continents. The research project will have a vast scientific impact by expanding scholarly knowledge on the role of the churches and also by transforming that knowledge by the project’s scope, volume and its incorporation of the black and/or indigenous perspective. The project will also have a great impact on church and society, by contributing to the development of a new narrative of the Dutch past, in which our assumptions on the relations between toleration, racism, trade, slavery and Protestantism will be tested and revised.

About PThU and VU
PhD Candidate 1 will be employed by the Faculty of Humanities at the VU, PhD Candidate 2 and the Student Research Assistant will be employed by the PThU.
The Protestant Theological University (PThU) is connected with the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. It trains students to be the future ministers of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands as well as general theological experts, and provides post-academic training for ministers and chaplains.  With its nationally and internationally highly qualified research, the PThU seeks answers to the current and timeless questions that church, academy and society pose to us.
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) has as its ambition to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. The VU strives to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge.

Application

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button and upload your curriculum vitae and cover letter until 20/10/2022.

Apply

Vacancy questions

If you have any questions please contact one of the following project leaders and/or supervisors:

• Prof. dr. Annette Merz (PThU), a.b.merz@pthu.nl (general questions and Student Research Assistant)
• Prof. dr. George Harinck (VU), g.harinck@vu.nl (PhD Candidate 1)
• Prof. dr. Rose Mary Allen (University of Curaçao), rose-mary.allen@uoc.cw (PhD Candidate 2)

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