News

/ Forschung, Doktorat

Job: Postdoctoral research position on the aftermath of slavery in the Eastern Congo

History Department, Ghent University

Applications are invited for a three-year research position on the aftermath of slavery in the Eastern Congo during the twentieth century. The aim of the project is to examine the long aftermath of slavery in this region, including the life trajectories of former slaves and their descendants, the persistence or evanescence of social distinctions rooted in the heritage of slavery, and the role of slavery in the political imagination and public debate up to the present. Depending on the successful candidate’s qualifications, research may be focused on the Maniema region around Kasongo and Kindu or on the region around Kisangani further north.

Candidates are expected to hold, or to expect to complete by September 2021, a PhD in history or a related social science discipline, and to have some previous experience doing research in Central Africa. The post’s holder will be affiliated with the History Department of Gent University and be part of a research group on the aftermath of slavery in East Africa, funded by the European Research Council, and currently comprising researchers working on Western Tanzania, Buganda, the Giriama area in Kenya, the Tanzania/Mozambique borderland and the role of slavery in religious discourses. The principal investigator is Felicitas Becker.

The default start date is October 1, 2020, but there is some flexibility.

The deadline for applications is May 15.