What are you going to do?You will provide education in a dynamic context with ample opportunities for the development of innovative teaching methods. Your research will be part of the
Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM), one of the five research schools of the
Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research. AHM, as a thematic research school, is the research base for a broad spread of disciplines from Heritage, Memory and Museum Studies, to Archaeology, Conservation and Restoration, Media studies and Art History. Museums and heritage sites are privileged sites of preserving, valuing, contesting and reinterpreting memory, often by means of material culture
The Department of Art and Culture Studies in the Faculty of Humanities is looking for an Assistant professor 'Social Practice in Contemporary Art and Culture' to build upon extend existing research strengths on this topic. You will provide education in a dynamic context with ample opportunities for the development of innovative teaching methods. You will develop and provide modules within the field of Social Practice in Contemporary Art and Culture such as in the context of the interdisciplinary Bachelor Global Arts, Culture and Politics, with the majors 'Art, Media and Visual Culture', 'Culture and Social Justice', and 'Reimagining Sustainability'. Important is proven flexibility in teaching on topics beyond your own research focus, a willingness to work in interdisciplinary teams of teachers and the ability to offer inspiring lectures and tutorials in BA, MA and minor programmes that attract a wide range of students. You will contribute to teaching at all levels in relevant domains. Among the relevant BA and MA programmes the post holder will likely be asked to contribute by providing interdisciplinary core or elective module(s) are Cultural Studies and Art History. Your research will be part of the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM). Research School members collaborate in and across many thematic groups, including in AHM: 'Artistic Knowing: Research in and on Cultural Practices', 'Museums and Interpretation', and 'Global Trajectories of Thought and Memory. In this setting, you will be expected to bring your theoretical and potentially also practice-based contributions and your situated investment in the field of contemporary culture, art and social practice to bear on UvA research and teaching. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates whose research addresses contemporary art and culture studies with a focus on social practice / socially engaged art, artists' instituting practices / cultural workers-run institutions / institutional critique, and art activism and musealization. Within the area of social practice or socially engaged art and culture mobilized for social change and empowerment, we value candidates with transnational expertise and those adopting a global perspective.
Tasks and responsibilities:
- Designing and conducting independent research on, in and through contemporary culture and institutions, broadly conceived, in relation to issues such as social practice, art(istic) research, curating, and/or activism. This will include work on the practical, societal, and epistemological dimensions of contemporary culture, art and social practices, resulting in contributions to academic peer-reviewed international journals and books, as well as exhibition curation / art practice and the various forms in which social practice materializes and is communicated;
- actively pursuing external funding for research and creative endeavours, notably funding from research councils, national as well as European;
- actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
- actively contributing to the research activities of AHM;
- developing, coordinating and teaching courses in both Dutch and English, in the BA and MA programmes of Art History, Art and Performance Research Studies and related fields;
- supervising BA and MA theses and tutoring students; co-supervising PhD theses;
- actively contributing to the development and improvement of teaching programmes in the department;
- taking part in committees and working groups, and carrying out departmental administrative tasks as directed.