Working closely with the Postdoc and the PI, the two PhD researchers will focus on the two subprojects (collecting data in the US and South Africa) that have a common timeframe, structure and focus. One PhD researcher will conduct narrative research in the US and the other in South Africa. A third PhD researcher (collecting data in the Netherlands) has already been selected. The narratives of (30) refugees and (15) engaged academics will be chosen in collaboration with the research partners in each country (professors Yen Le Espiritu [UC San Diego] and Abel Valenzuela [UC Los Angeles] in the US and professors André Keet [Nelson Mandela University] and Salim Vally [University of Johannesburg] in South Africa). The PhD researchers will also be expected to co-organize “co-creation meetings” in their respective countries.
 
Tasks for the PhD researchers will include:
• Beginning course work and developing a detailed research proposal (one year).
• Performing a literature review relating to refugees’ narratives and discourses/policies on refugees in historical perspective for their respective countries.
• Conducting months of fieldwork research in each country (participant observations, biographical interviews), including data analysis and writing up initial findings.
• Organizing and managing data, including translation, transcription and coding.
• Connecting sites (correlating the findings per country) and writing the first findings for (inter)national publications and as posts for the  project’s website.
• Helping to identify and approach the stakeholders who will be invited for the co-creation phase.
• Writing a PhD thesis based on peer-reviewed articles.
• Translating academic findings to practice.
• Participating in international conferences, workshops, seminars and other scholarly activities.
• Other research tasks per PI’s direction.

• Previous experience with ethnographic research.
• Excellent qualitative research skills; previous experience in engaged co-creation research is a plus.
• Expertise in refugee or migrant studies.
• A master’s degree in social sciences or humanities with knowledge of critical theory.
• Excellent English writing and communication skills.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate within an international team.
• Preparedness to live in Amsterdam and to conduct two several-month periods of fieldwork in the respective country.

This is a temporary appointment for 4 years and 1.0 fte, starting 1 January 2019 with an initial contract of 12 months. Upon good performance and a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining 36-month period.
You can find information about our excellent fringe employment benefits at http://www.workingatvu.nl, like:
• an 8.3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• a minimum of 29 holidays for full-time employees 

The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel:  €2,266.- gross per month in the first year, up to €2,897.- in the fourth year (salary scale 85) based on full-time employment.

http://www.vu.nl/en/index.asp

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a leading, innovative and growing university that is at the heart of society and contributes actively to new developments in teaching and research. Our university has ten faculties which span a wide range of disciplines, as well as several institutes, foundations, research centers, and support services.

Its campus is located in the fastest-growing economic region in the Netherlands (the Zuidas district of Amsterdam), and provides work for over 4,500 staff and scientific education for more than 23,000 students.

Diversity is a core value of the VU. We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalization contribute to the quality of education and research. We are therefore constantly looking for people who contribute to the diversity of our campus through their background and experience.

The Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) looks at the major social problems of our time from multiple perspectives – from bullying at school to how to deal with illegal immigration, from the rise of populist politicians to the shaping of a self-reliant society. FSS combines all the disciplines that are needed to understand these 'wicked problems': in addition to classical disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, political science and public administration, the FSS also offers new social sciences such as communication science and management and organization science. In our education and research, we do not settle for easy answers. Our scientists and students are critical thinkers and doers who together develop surprising solutions.