Tuesday 3 July 2012

VACANCY: Postdoc Memory at War in contemporary Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian Literature


Postdoc Memory at War in contemporary Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian Literature

(212132)

Organisation

The Groningen Research Institute for the Study of Culture is one of the three official research institutes of the Faculty of Arts. Research at ICOG represents many periods and disciplines: history and theory of literature, film/TV, theatre, music, visual arts and architecture, research in artistic media and in history and theory of artistic policy-making and organisation, as well as journalism, political, socio-economic, cultural and intellectual history and international relations.
Research at ICOG is characterised by its interdisciplinary nature, which means that the research groups are organised in such a way as to encourage links - both synchronic and diachronic - between them. Within the ICOG there are three main research groups: Politics, Media and Nation-building, Cultures and Identity, and Society and the Arts.

Job description

This postdoc project applies and tests theories about the construction, representation and narrativization of traumatic histories in the context of the East-European memory of the Soviet imperial past(s). The project analyses the problematic assimilation and contamination of the memories of the imperial oppression, Soviet Terror, and the collapse of the Soviet Empire into collective narratives of self that are simultaneously coherent and disturbed. The working hypothesis is that literary texts in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine have played important but different roles in filling post-traumatic gaps and disseminating culturally shared memories. The description of these phenomena will benefit from critical analyses from the perspective of trauma theory. The one-year project will result in a series of publications in peer-reviewed journals in Slavonic studies and trauma studies.

The position is part of the research project "The Imperialism of Martyrdom: Suffering, Agency, and Memory in Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian Films and Novels", coordinated by dr Sander Brouwer of the Dept. of Slavic Languages and Cultures. It is part of the research project "Memory at War: Cultural Dynamics in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine", which has been made possible as a result of the award of a 2009 HERA JRP grant (Humanities in the European Research Area, Joint Research Program) in the category "Cultural Dynamics: Inheritance and Identity". The University of Cambridge is leading this project, it is furthermore accomplished in association with the Universities of Bergen, Helsinki, and Tartu.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Slavic Studies or History
  • competence in cultural trauma studies
  • active knowledge of at least one, and passive knowledge of at least two of the languages involved
  • excellent academic record (as shown by a list of examination marks); proven ability to plan and prioritize work and to work to and meet deadlines; strong commitment to excellence in research
  • ability to develop creative approaches to problem solving; creativity, curiosity, and ambition; proactive attitude; ability to implement new methods and ideas
  • excellent communication skills: effective paper writing skills (demonstrated by publications) and ample experience with delivering presentations
  • excellent command of the English language (oral and written).

Conditions of employment

The University of Groningen offers the postdoc a salary of € 3,088 (scale 10, step 6) gross per month for a full-time position. The position requires residence in Groningen. This position is defined according to the UFO function profile 'researcher'.

Employment basis: Temporary for specified period.
Duration of the contract: One year.
Maximum hours per week: 30-32 hours.
Starting date: as soon as possible.

Application deadline
You can apply for this job by sending your entire application in just 1 pdf-file + motivation letter in a separate file before 15 August 2012 by means of the application form. Incomplete dossiers will not be taken into consideration.

Please include
1. A letter of application
2. Your curriculum vitae
3. A list of publications
4. The names and e-mail addresses of two referees who are willing to provide letters of reference (upon request)
5. A short statement (no more than 1,000 words) about your motivation to apply for this project.

Information

For information you can contact:
Dr Sander Brouwer, +31 50 3636062,  sander.brouwer@rug.nl


http://www.rug.nl/corporate/vacatures/jobOpportunitiesRUG

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