The Department of Culture Studies (DCU) conducts interdisciplinary research interconnecting anthropology, intercultural communication, health humanities, media studies, ritual studies, and literary studies.  Research and education in DCU focus on how digitalization influences the production, dissemination, and reception of culture and cultural heritage, and conversely, how contemporary culture(s) shape(s) the production and design of digital technologies. 

The DCU focus is on platformization and cultural heritage, exploring how digitalization transforms and influences our experiences of time and space, of heritages from the past and new (im)materialities of the present (e.g. new life writing forms on Instagram or new intermedial activities in digital art), enabling new perspectives on the future. In the next five years, DCU will focus on understanding cultural heritage in a post-digital world, a world in which the digital has become omnipresent. Together with our new colleagues, DCU researchers will investigate phenomena of platformization and how these affect our understanding of cultural practices, art and media, intercultural differences, and health.

To strengthen our research group, we are looking for expertise and experience in the fields of cultural heritage and identity; cultural change and intergenerational spaces; and identity formation in social networks and communities. Our team members come from different disciplinary backgrounds and we are committed to exploring this as a strength, by building an inclusive, diverse, and interdisciplinary group. In this light we are looking for Assistant Professors who strengthen our theoretical and methodological diversity.

DCU invites motivated scholars to apply for the following positions within the following two themes:

Four Assistant Professor positions in Cultural Heritage and the Creative Industries, Media, and Popular Culture:

1. Digital literacies, digital discourse, and cultural practices
2. Digital art, ecology and communication
3. Critical heritage studies, innovation and curation
4. Creative industries, popular culture, and future heritage
   
   One Assistant Professor position in language variation, literacy, and inclusion in digital society:
5. Identity and intercultural differences

The successful candidate 

• holds a PhD in culture or communication studies, or a closely related field
• has experience in teaching and designing research projects
• has a solid track record of research
• has a strong sense of team spirit and willingness to engage in collaborative research and initiate interdisciplinary research 
• has an excellent command of English
• understands ethics of (digital) research

The positions will be ranked in the Dutch university job ranking system (UFO) as assistant professor 2 (“universitair docent 2”). The starting gross salary for a full-time appointment is (minimally) € 3821,- up to (maximally) € 5230,- per month (max  € 72.989,- all in per year). The start of the employment is negotiable, preferably mid December,  2022. In principle, successful candidates receive a permanent contract after 12 months (for internal candidates) or 18 months (for external candidates).
Successful candidates must remain at least 80% of their working days in the Netherlands (as a requirement of tax and social security laws). 

Tilburg University is rated among the top Dutch employers and has excellent terms of employment, such as a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually), an options model and reimbursement of moving expenses. Candidates 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 and Digital Sciences will provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation. The collective labor agreement of the Dutch Universities applies.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

Research and education at the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD) has a unique focus on humans in the context of the globalizing digital society, on the development of artificial intelligence and interactive technologies, on their impact on communication, culture and society, and on moral and existential challenges that arise. The School of Humanities and Digital Sciences consists of four departments: Communication and Cognition, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Culture Studies and Philosophy; several research institutes and a faculty office. Also the University College Tilburg is part of the School. Each year around 275 students commence a Bachelor or (Pre) Master Program. The School has approximately 2000 students and 250 employees.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences