Within the Chair Group of Economic and Social History, Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, a fully funded PhD position is currently available. The position will be within the ERC-funded project “Coping with decline: Comparative social-historical analysis of depopulation and community welfare in Europe, 1950-2022 (DEPOP)”.

The overarching goal of the ERC project is to comparatively examine the links between regional depopulation and welfare decline, specifically in the areas of health and care, in Europe for the period of the past 70 years. We will analyse: (macro-level) population trajectories and state welfare provision data, available as reports and regional statistics; (meso-level) collective coping strategies through social organisations, collected through their archives and witness seminars, and (micro-level) individual coping strategies, examined through existing and new oral histories.

DEPOP’s ambition is to shed a new light on the histories of ‘stayers’ in rural and urban communities, and on their welfare in health and care sectors. We will be paying close attention to community’s resilience and agility as well as social inequalities, especially around gender, class, age, ability, and ethnicity/race. A short article about the project could be found here: https://www.rug.nl/news/2024/04/studying-depopulation-also-means-studying-the-history-of-those-who-stay

The PhD project
This PhD position will focus on the Netherlands and specifically at the meso- and micro-levels of analysis. The position may focus on the Northern Netherlands region. You will work closely with another PhD student whose focus will be on Finland and with a Postdoc who will focus on the European comparison.

Organisation
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

The Chair Group of Economic and Social History is an ambitious group of researchers dedicated towards global and regional histories of population and health, gender and social inequalities, and focusing on the role of spatial, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts in historical change. We have a specific interest in social science history and long-term historical developments and apply theories and methods from the social sciences in our research. The PhD candidates will also have an opportunity to contribute to the activities of the faculty-wide Groningen Centre for Health and Humanities and the History of Medicine and Health Group of the Centre for Historical Studies.

The successful candidate has a (Research) Master’s degree in History or a related discipline (demography, sociology, human geography). Areas of expertise may include one or more fields: socio-economic history, population history, regional history, history of health and care, history of welfare, history of social policy, history of collective action and oral history. Expertise and affinity with archival research and oral history is desirable.

The successful candidate has a good command of English (oral and written) and the languages relevant for the contexts (i.e. the Netherlands) to be able to undertake required research. The candidate should also be able to work independently, be a team player, and possesses excellent communication skills (indicated by the ability to write scientific papers and deliver presentations).

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you:

- A salary of € 2,770 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,539 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
- A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income.
- An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
- A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
- The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
- Excellent work-life balance.
- Willingness to move and reside in the Netherlands.

The appointment will commence in September/October 2024 at the very latest. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.