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/ Research, Doctorate/PhD
Job: PhD or Post-Doc position in African History on Aftermath of slavery in Kenya
University of Gent
Applications are invited for a research position on the long aftermath of slavery in Kenya, 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.
Appointment will be made either for four years to a fully-funded PhD studentship for candidates with an MA, or for three years to a post-doctoral fellowship for candidates who have completed a PhD. 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 and the role of slavery in Islamic discourses. Principal investigator on the project is Felicitas Becker (see https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/feli.becker). There is no obligation to teach, but contributions to teaching can be arranged. Monthly pay amounts to 2000 – 2200 EUR brutto; health insurance is provided at low cost. The default start date is October 1, 2020, but there is some flexibility.
Applicants at doctoral level are expected to have completed an MA in African history, African studies or a related discipline by September 2020; at postdoctoral level, a PhD in one of these disciplines, completed or shortly to be completed, is required. Fieldwork, especially interview, experience is a plus but not required. For fieldwork purposes, candidates will need a working knowledge of Swahili or a demonstrable capacity for acquiring new languages quickly. To apply, please send transcripts of academic record, including evidence of language skills, a short (up to two pages) statement of research interests, and a writing sample of up to 5000 words to slaveryaftermath@cluttergmail.com, and arrange for two letters of reference to be sent to the same address. Please state in the subject line whether you are applying at doctoral or post-doctoral level.
The Gent History Department has over 100 members, with an established strength in global history. Besides the history department, the post holder will find interlocutors in the African Studies department, which comprises specialists in history, literature, linguistics and anthropology, the Conflict and Development research group, and the Global Studies centre. Gent is a vibrant and beautiful city of ca. 230,000 inhabitants, about 40,000 of them students. The official language is Flemish, but English is spoken almost universally, and research will be discussed in English. See https://visit.gent.be/en/HOME.
The deadline for applications is March 30. For further questions, please write to fmb26@cluttercam.ac.uk.
