Lead by the University of Oldenburg, Germany, the Digital Provenance and Collection Research Science Space (Wissenschaftsraum Provenienz- und Sammlungsforschung Digital) is funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the Volkswagen Foundation with around 3 million euros. The institutions participating in this joint research project are situated in Oldenburg, Hanover, Lüneburg, Göttingen and Bremerhaven, and they are advertising ten positions of research associates over the funding period of a total of four years.

The Institute of English and American Studies at the University of Oldenburg is seeking to fill the position of a

Doctoral Candidate (m/f/d)
(Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin / Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter)

for a fixed term of three years commencing on 1 November 2024 or as soon as possible.

The position will be part-time (65 %) with working hours of currently 25.87 hours per week, and the salary will be based on the German public service pay scale 13 TV-L.

The Digital Provenance and Collection Research Science Space consists of several sub-projects designed to jointly develop new digital methods for processing and analysing information about museum objects which were – under the circumstances of colonialism, war, looting, persecution and market dynamics – removed from their contexts of origin and brought to Europe where they are currently kept in museums, recorded in databases and presented in exhibitions. In two case studies, provenance and collection research will be expanded to include IT- and AI-supported methods and, together with international partners, the production of knowledge about the collection items and the handling of unreliable data as well as of epistemic and algorithmic bias will be researched. The position at the Institute of English and American Studies is part of the case study on collection research which focuses on cowry shells. The successful candidate is supposed to analyse representations and reframings of cowry shells in post- and decolonial texts and contexts (such as postcolonial literatures, pop-cultural phenomena, digital and social media, restitution debates); building on this, the candidate’s research project is meant to contribute to the theorisation of postcolonial epistemologies in times of digitization as well as to post- and decolonial criticisms of the nature – culture divide. The position provides the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree (PhD).

Tasks:

• Carrying out research in the field of post- and decolonial literary and cultural studies related to the research project outlined above
• The candidate may develop their own research results into a doctoral dissertation in the field of Postcolonial Studies/Postcolonial Digital Humanities
• Fulfilling other academic and administrative tasks

Requirements:

• Master’s degree or equivalent diploma (with an above average grade) in the field of Anglophone Studies (or in a related subject) with a focus on literary and cultural studies
• Research interest or research experience in the field of Postcolonial Studies
• Native or near-native knowledge of English (C1)
• Idea for a PhD project (in the form of a brief research proposal of two to five pages in English)

Desirable competencies:

• Research interest or experience in the field of Indigenous Studies
• Experience in organising academic events
• (First) academic publications relevant to the position

The University of Oldenburg is an equal opportunities employer. According to § 21 para. 3 of the legislation governing Higher Education in Lower Saxony (NHG), preference shall be given to female candidates in cases of equal qualification. The same applies to people with disabilities.

Please send your application, including a CV, copies of degree certificates and, if applicable, your list of publications and an overview of the courses which you have taught at university level preferably as a single PDF attachment with a maximum size of 40 MB to using the reference “ProSaDi”. Applications may also be sent to Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Fakultät III, Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik, D-26111 Oldenburg. The closing date for applications is 25 August 2024.

Please note that applications will not be returned and applicants are therefore asked not to send folders or other bound materials.

Inquiries can be addressed to Prof Dr Julia Wurr ().

N.B.: The German version of this advertisement, which is legally binding, may be found at https://uol.de/stellen/70445. This English version is for information only.