HUM-PREDOCTORAL-2025-01 Predoctoral research position

Job description

A PhD position is available in the IslandLives project led by Professor Konrad Antczak at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain). Funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant, 2024), IslandLives "Alternative Modernities and Everyday Life in the Pre-emancipation Southern Caribbean (c. 1634–1863)" aims to uncover the unknown everyday lives of peoples on Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire (ABC islands) and reveal how they selectively navigated the modernity thrust upon them during Dutch colonization in contested and contingent ways.

The candidate will undertake an important part of Work Package 2 of the project which involves novel archival research into the material experiences of everyday life on Curaçao across the intersections of ethnicity/race, religion, class, and specifically gender. The candidate will conduct research at relevant archives including the Nationaal Archief, The Hague; the Nationaal Archief Curaçao and Mongui Maduro Foundation Library; and the Archive of the Indies (AGI), Seville, among others.

The focus will be on material culture (e.g., tableware, clothing, furniture, tools, personal items, commercial goods) found in these sources and the entanglements between people―especially women―, things, and places that inventories and accounts reveal, building on approaches championed by previous historians.

While undertaking extended stays at various archives and libraries, the PhD researcher will also perform crucial background research for other project work packages as needs arise. Finally, they will also translate select Dutch documents into English and transcribe select Spanish documents for use by the team.

Tasks:

●       Undertake archival research into the material experiences of everyday life on Curaçao across the intersections of ethnicity/race, religion, class, and specifically gender.

●       Perform research stays at relevant archives including the Nationaal Archief, The Hague; the Nationaal Archief Curaçao and Mongui Maduro Foundation Library; and the Archive of the Indies (AGI), Seville, among others.

●       Collaborate with project team members by employing the above data and that from other project work packages to produce new insights about everyday life in the pre-emancipation Southern Caribbean.

Likewise, the candidate must:

●     Perform background research in archives for other project work packages, when needed.

●     Translate select Dutch documents into English and transcribe select Spanish documents for use by the team, when needed. 

●     Enter research data into a relational database.

●     Publish in high-impact journals.

●     Present their research at relevant academic conferences.

Likewise, he/she may collaborate in teaching tasks for up to a maximum of 180 hours during the total extension of the contract, with a maximum of 60 hours per year, always with the prior approval of the PI of the research project and provided that it is compatible with his/her research responsibilities.

Salary/duration/benefits/facilities

The candidate will work full-time for a duration of 4 years and starting June, 2025, with a gross salary of €23,832 gross per annum approximately.

The contract includes all the benefits of the Spanish public health and social security system, as well as additional financial support for the participation in project-relevant conferences and scientific meetings.

Requirements for Candidates

- Admission or enrollment in the Doctoral Program in History at the time of starting the contract.

- Master's degree in History or equivalent.

- Not to have been separated by disciplinary proceedings from the service of any of the public administrations, nor to be disqualified by a final sentence for the performance of public functions. In the case of being a national of another State, they must not be disqualified or in an equivalent situation or have been subject to a disciplinary sanction or equivalent that prevents access to public jobs, under the same terms, in their State.

The requirements must be verifiable at any time during the selection process and must continue to be met at the contract signing date.

Information on the application process  

To apply for this position, candidates send the documentation by Interfolio through the following link: 

1. 
   
2. Photocopy of your DNI/NIE/Passport
3. Copy of the master's degree
4. C.V.
5. Motivation letter (max. 2 pages) [in PDF format]
6. Letters of recommendation of two scholars who endorse the candidacy.

Selection Criteria

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of each candidate's merits, for which their presence will not be necessary. The evaluation of the different applications will be based on the following criteria (out of a total of 21 points):

a)      Experience in reading Dutch and/or Spanish early modern handwriting. (5 points)

b)      Knowledge of Dutch colonial history. (5 points)

c)      Excellent knowledge of English, Spanish and Dutch (5 points)

d)      Experience in utilizing relational databases or other digital humanities experience. (3 points)

e)      Experience working in archives. (3 points)

The minimum score to pass the selection process is 15.

The selection committee may, if deemed appropriate, invite candidates for an interview or contact referees to clarify aspects of their CV that could help better evaluate them.

Information

Starting date: June 2025

For practical information about the position and the application process, please contact