Job: Postdoctoral position Digital Media History – Mapping Transnational Conflict Heritage (Amsterdam)

Faculty of Humanities – Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture

Release date: 27. November 2018
Education attainment: Doctoral degree
Indication of salary: €3,303 to €3,916 gross per month, based on 38 hours per week
Submission of applications: 28. February 2019
Scope of work: 32 hours per week
Vacancy number: 18-704

The Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM), one of the six research schools at the Faculty of Humanities, currently has a vacant Postdoctoral position as part of the NWO VIDI Project ‘Mapping Transnational Conflict Heritage, Radio Collections in Europe, 1930-1960’, led by Dr Carolyn Birdsall.

Project description

In Mapping Transnational Conflict Heritage, the central aim is to trace the ways in which radio sound collections were archived, circulated and used during and after World War II. The project takes the impact of conflict on media as its central theme, and proposes to develop a framework for studying how media collections became a form of transnational conflict heritage, namely by examining processes of transformation, relocation and valorisation.

The postdoc project explores how digitised (meta)data about European radio collections can be best integrated and analysed using digital tools, and contributes to discussions conducted within the fields of media history, digital humanities and data visualisation. In order to do so, the postdoc role involves experimenting with and critically evaluating available digital tools for the project’s structured (meta)data (i.e. tool criticism), and then using selected tools to work on enriching the data and visualising historical developments over time and space (i.e. data visualisation).

You will work closely with two subprojects, which each examine case studies in Central Eastern Europe (PhD) and Western Europe (PI). You will collaborate with the project team in charting the historical creation and dislocation of broadcast radio recordings in Europe, as part of the project’s overall goal in ‘mapping’ transnational conflict heritage.

Your tasks include:

  • contributing to creating the project’s online repository (and linked-data map);
  • presentation of intermediate research results at (inter)national workshops and conferences;
  • delivering a number of publications directly related to the ‘Mapping Transnational Conflict Heritage’ project in international journals and/or as chapters with leading presses;
  • participation in meetings of the project research group;
  • assisting with organisational matters connected to the project, such as conference co-organisation.

Requirements

We expect you to have:

  • a completed doctoral degree in a discipline with clear relevance to the research project (e.g. history, media studies, digital humanities, information studies, data science);
  • excellent research skills;
  • excellent written and spoken English;
  • proven experience with digital humanities, with competence in network analysis and data visualisation;
  • strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research and knowledge dissemination activities;
  • strong organizational skills. 

Further information

For additional information about this position, including a research note on the overall project, please contact:

Appointment

The appointment will be for 32 hours per week for a maximum period of three years at the Department of Media Studies of the Faculty of Humanities. The research will be carried out under the aegis of AHM. The appointment is initially for a period of 12 months; contingent on satisfactory performance it will be extended by a maximum of 24 months. The intended starting date of the contract is 1 August 2019. The gross monthly salary (on a full-time basis) will range from €3,303 during the first year to €3,916 during the third year, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities, supplemented with an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. Because we value your continued personal development and professionalisation, we also offer excellent opportunities for study and development.  

Job application

The UvA is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We value a spirit of enquiry and endurance, provide the space to keep asking questions and cherish a diverse atmosphere of curiosity and creativity.

You may submit your application no later than 28 February 2019 to the link below.  Your application should include the following information:

  • a letter of motivation, stating what interests you about this particular research project and why you see yourself as the right candidate for this position (no more than 800 words);
  • a full CV including a list of publications and contact details of two referees who may be approached by the selection committee.

These should be sent electronically in one document, preferably as a pdf-file. Please do not send us additional documentation at this stage.

Interviews will take place in the period 25 to 30 March 2019. For candidates living abroad interviews may be held via Skype. #LI-DNP

No agencies please

Quelle: http://www.uva.nl/shared-content/uva/en/vacancies/2018/11/18-704-postdoctoral-position-digital-media-history—mapping-transnational-conflict-heritage.html