This PhD position is part of the ERC Starting Grant Project BRASILIAE. Indigenous Knowledge in the Making of Science: Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648).

BRASILIAE takes the book Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (HNB), published in 1648 by Willem Piso and George Marcgraf, as its central focus and proposes an interdisciplinary study of the role of indigenous knowledge in the making of science. Situated at the intersection of history and anthropology, its main research objective is to understand the transformation of information and practices of South American indigenous peoples into a body of knowledge that became part of the Western scholarly canon. It aims to explore, by means of a distinctive case study, how European science is constructed in intercultural settings. This PhD will be working together with the BRASILIAE team, consisting of a Principal Investigator, a Post-Doc, and one other PhD candidate, along with partners from Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden) and the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (Brazil).

This PhD position focuses on the botanical knowledge contained in the HNB from historical and ethnobotanical perspectives. It aims at identifying the traditional plant use by Tupi indigenous societies in the seventeenth century as well as the African botanical legacy in colonial Brazil via the HNB. In ethnobotanical terms, it should connect the historical knowledge of the HNB with present-day local plant uses and plant names in Brazil by means of fieldwork investigations. Furthermore it aims at analyzing how indigenous terms for flora are used in European (scientific) classification systems. This project likewise reconnects the botanical knowledge in the HNB with the herbarium compiled by George Marcgraf in Brazil, presently kept in Copenhagen.

• (R)MA or MSc Degree in Anthropology, Biology, Ethnobotany, or a related discipline;
• An explicit interest in Brazil, early modern history, plants, and indigenous peoples;
• Research and writing skills demonstrated by a master’s thesis and/or publications;
• An excellent command of either Portuguese or Spanish as well as English; knowledge of the Dutch language is considered an advantage;
• Some experience of fieldwork in tropical countries is desirable. 

Fixed-term contract: 4 Years.

We offer a position for 38 hours per week. The position is available from 1 January 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter. The appointment as a PhD student will be for a period of four years (initially for a period of one year with an extension of three years after positive evaluation of progress and skills development) leading to the successful completion of a PhD thesis. The appointment will be under the terms of the cao (Collective Labour Agreement) of Dutch Universities The gross monthly salary is set on € 2.222,- in the first year, increasing to € 2.840,- gross per month in the final year.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end- of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at www.workingat.leiden.edu/.

Diversity
Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Universiteit Leiden

Leiden is a typical university city, hosting the oldest university in the Netherlands (1575). The University permeates the local surroundings; University premises are scattered throughout the city, and the students who live and study in Leiden give the city its relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge in applying for academic posts and for functions outside academia.

Faculty of Archaeology

The future of the past begins in Leiden. The Faculty of Archaeology is internationally leading for its research, home to a broad array of specializations and notable for the strong connection it fosters between teaching and research. Home to over 500 students in the multidisciplinary world of Archaeology, the Faculty and its researchers from all areas of the Archaeological field determine the future of archaeological research.