Specialty areas: Literary analysis, ethnomusicology, contemporary history, African history, environmental history

University of Gronigen

Applications are invited for a 2.5 years (30 months) postdoctoral research position within the AFREXTRACT project Environmental Histories of Resource Extraction in Africa: Understanding Cultural and Political Responses to Environmental Transformation, financed by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Dr Iva Peša (see: www.rug.nl/let/AFREXTRACT).

Through a comparative study of three African localities of resource extraction (oil drilling in Nigeria; copper mining in Zambia; gold mining in South Africa), focusing on the period 1950-2020, this project aims to analyse and explain the diversity of cultural responses to environmental transformation. The postdoctoral researcher will focus on literary and musical production (novels, poems, songs) to gain insights into popular understandings of environmental change caused by mining and oil extraction. This postdoctoral project will involve research stays in all three countries (c. 6 months in total).

A rich corpus of literary and musical production has engaged with the environmental changes caused by mining and oil drilling. The novels and poetry by Tanure Ojaide, Helon Habila, Peter Abrahams, Mongane Wally Serote, and Mukuka Chipanta, and the music of Fela Kuti, Rikki Ililonga, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo are prominent examples. Why did some of these works depict extraction as relatively unremarkable, while others condemned its effects as ‘ecocide’? This project aims to historicise cultural production and to understand why people reacted differently to environmental change. The postdoctoral researcher will be part of a larger team (PI, two PhD students, and one postdoctoral researcher on political ecology), collaborating closely with the Universities of Port Harcourt, Copperbelt University, the University of Pretoria, and local partners.

This postdoctoral project offers a unique opportunity to work in an international research environment as well as to acquire valuable teaching experience (should the candidate be interested). In addition, the postdoctoral researcher will collaborate with the other team members to organise conferences and workshops, and to plan outreach activities.

For additional queries regarding the project and if you would like to get access to the full project proposal, please get in touch with the project’s PI, Dr Iva Peša: i.pesa@rug.nl

Organisation
The University of Groningen, founded in 1614, is an international research university in the north of the Netherlands. Our staff create and share knowledge through outstanding research and education. The Faculty of Arts – which includes the History department – is located in the historic heart of the city of Groningen. Our research covers the following fields: Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Journalism, Language and Literary Studies, and Linguistics.

Required qualifications:

• a PhD (or proof of imminent completion) in a relevant field, such as cultural and literary studies, ethnomusicology, African history, or environmental history (degrees in related fields such as African studies or anthropology will also be considered)
• excellent command of English
• experience in conducting research in Africa (preferably in Nigeria, Zambia, or South Africa) and willingness to conduct c. 6 months of research in the three study localities
• familiarity with and strong interest in debates on environmental history, resource extraction, African history, and cultural production
• a strong motivation to publish your research (the candidate will be expected to publish two articles in peer-reviewed journals)
• ability to work both independently and as a team player.

Desirable qualifications:

• a research network in the Niger Delta, the Zambian Copperbelt, and/or Johannesburg
• knowledge of local languages, e.g. Ijaw, Bemba, or Zulu.

Applications should be in English and contain the following materials:

• short statement (c. 1,000 words), explaining your motivation for applying
• curriculum vitae
• copy of PhD certificate and list of grades
• writing sample (e.g. a chapter of your PhD thesis, a draft article, or a publication)
• contact details of two academic referees (no letter of recommendation is required; only the referees of shortlisted candidates will be contacted).

Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the writing sample, and one for all other documents). You may apply for this position until 13 August 11:59pm / before 14 August 2023 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on “Apply” below on the advertisement on the university website).

Interviews with selected candidates will be held in early September 2023.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/(…)rsity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission’s European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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