Job - postdoc / researcher "Perceptions of Europe from Outside" (Temporary)

The job
This project, directed by Prof. dr. Paul Scheffer in collaboration with Prof. dr. Odile Heynders, examines the narratives, representations and ideas of Europe as developed in the so-called BRIC nations, countries at a stage of rapid advanced economic development: Brasil, Russia, India, and China. The project is situated in the framework of postcolonial and globalization theories, with a strong focus on the new, outside perspective: the approach focuses on the ways in which Europe is conceived in the BRIC countries. The emphasis is on the narratives that public intellectuals as elites construct in order to explain changes in economical, political and cultural relations. The project will draw on sociology of globalization, a rethinking of postcolonial theory, cultural history, ethnography (interviews), narrative analysis and theories of mass communication. An interdisciplinary approach is necessitated by the diversity of the data analysed (various media, narratives, interviews) as well as the questions posed in the project. The postdoctoral researcher should be equipped with insights in the main theories and recent developments in postcolonial theory, cultural history and sociology of globalization. The candidate is familiar with research on Europe in a global context.

S/He has to undertake the following actions: .
- In the first phase of the project an extensive study of literature and articles in public media is necessary in order to describe economic and demographical shifts in the global world. The international relations between the BRIC countries and Europe will be analyzed and described. .
- In a second phase of the project, interviews will be taken with 10-15 key figures (economists, civil servants, politicians) in the EU concerning their relations with BRIC nations. .
- In the third phase interviews with 40 key figures (economists, politicians, public intellectuals) in each of the 4 BRIC nations will be held by PhD students in order to get grip on economic, political and scientific narratives of Europe. The postdoctoral researcher has to assist in preparing contacts with relevant universities in Sao Paolo, St. Petersburg, Mumbai and Bejing.

Ideal candidates should have:
- obtained a PhD degree in a relevant field of scholarship, preferably in history or sociology and specialized in European topics .
- a grounded acquaintance with Cultural Studies and European History .
- experience with academic teamwork .
- some organizational experience in academic environments .
- excellent skills in Academic English

Candidates should demonstrate how they match these criteria in a written statement of motivation of 1000-1500 words long.

Employment terms and conditions
The selected candidates will start with a contract for one year, concluded by an evaluation. Upon a positive outcome the candidate will be offered an employment contract for the remaining two years. The Postdoc candidate will be ranked as a researcher (4) with a starting fulltime salary of minimally € 2.977,-- up to € 3.755,-- gross per month (salary scale 10). In addition we offer a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year as well as a pension scheme and flexible employment conditions. Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary. The university will apply for such an allowance on their behalf. The Tilburg School of Humanities will provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation. The university offers very good fringe benefits (it is one of the best non-profit employers in the Netherlands).

As of July 1st 2010 the School of Humanities has a new department. It is called Department of Culture Studies and it consists of the former Departments of Language and Culture Studies and Religious Studies. The new department has some 75 members who are engaged in research in the field of language, culture and religion. The department's research is organized in five research programs: Language and globalization, Literature and visual art in the European public sphere, Religion and rituals, Ethics of care and Religion in the public sphere.

Members of the department participate in a number of teaching programs of the School of Humanities, i.e., the bachelor programs Liberal Arts and Sciences, Intercultural Communication, Culture Studies, Religion in Society and Culture, the master programs Arts, Public and Society, Religion in Society and Culture, Care, Ethics and Policy, and the research master programs Language and Communication and Theology. As of 2011 also master programs in Youth literature, Management of Cultural Diversity and European Culture will be offered.

The Department of Culture Studies hosts three centres: Babylon, Centre for Studies of the Multicultural Society, the Institute for Liturgical and Ritual Studies and the Centre for Intercultural Ethics.

The Department of Culture Studies aims at continuing already existing relationships and cooperation activities and at the same time establishing new relationships. We can be reached via this website - that for quite some time will remain under construction - and via our secretaries, for now still situated in D152 and D260 of Dante building.

Professor Sjaak Kroon,
Head Department of Culture Studies

Information and application
For more information, please contact prof.dr. O.M. Heynders, email: O.M.Heynders@uvt.nl, telephone: +31 13 466 3131. Applications should include a cover letter, a Curriculum Vitae and a written statement of motivation (see above). Applications should be must be submitted before March 18, 2012. You can apply for this vacancy only online through our vacancy site (www.tilburguniversity.edu/about-tilburg-university/working-at/wp/