Postdoc Traumascapes & International Crisis

The NWA-NWO project "Traumascapes. Valuing, Negotiating and Sharing Sites of Trauma, Pain, and Loss’ has a vacant postdoc researcher position as part of the sub-project ‘traumascapes in times of international crisis’. This postdoc position is of great importance to the Traumascapes programme, as it situates Dutch and (post)colonial traumascapes within the broader international context of geopolitical crises and conflicts currently unfolding in the world. The Postdoc project will be part of The Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture, which is one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research. AHM is the research base for a broad spread of disciplines from heritage and memory studies to museum and cultural studies, Archaeology and material culture, conservation and restoration, media and art history. AHM researchers share an interest in the ways in which material and immaterial traces of past events and experiences influence the formation of present-day identities.

Postdoc Traumascapes & international crisis
The NWA-NWO project ‘Traumascapes. Valuing, Negotiating and Sharing Sites of Trauma, Pain, and Loss’ has a vacant postdoc researcher position as part of the sub-project ‘traumascapes in times of international crisis’. This postdoc project examines the impact of these international crises on the experience of, and social dialogue about, Dutch and (post)colonial traumascapes. In the face of global crises such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, migration, and systemic injustice, traumascapes in the Netherlands play a crucial role in connecting historical memory to contemporary international crises and societal challenges. Key Dutch collective memories, such as the Holocaust, resistance during the Second World War, and the colonial legacy of the Netherlands, particularly in Indonesia and Suriname continue to shape both national and international discourses of heritage, memory, and trauma. This means that considering Dutch traumascapes solely from a national perspective would limit the possible interpretations and meanings these places carry. Building on this transnational framing, the project approaches Dutch and (post)colonial traumascapes as sites of agonistic memory: spaces in which historical meaning is not settled but continuously negotiated, contested, and rearticulated (Hansen, Bull 2016). Rather than treating memory as a consensual or stabilising force, the project foregrounds contestation as a productive and constitutive element of democratic memory cultures, and equally destabilising of liberal norms. Traumascapes are understood not only as lieux de mémoire that commemorate past suffering, but as arenas in which conflicting interpretations, moral claims, and political demands coexist and come into tension. From this standpoint, memories of the Holocaust, colonial violence, and slavery cannot be fully integrated into a single, coherent narrative without obscuring the asymmetries of power, responsibility, and historical experience that continue to shape contemporary debates. Agonistic memory acknowledges these asymmetries while insisting on the legitimacy of conflict as a mode of engagement with the past. Within the Dutch context, such contestation is increasingly visible. Public debates around colonial monuments, apologies and reparations for slavery, the interpretation of resistance and collaboration during the Second World War, and the place of Holocaust memory in multicultural society reveal how traumascapes function as flashpoints for broader struggles over identity, belonging, and historical accountability. These struggles are further intensified by global developments, such as ongoing wars, migration flows, and international justice claims, which reframe local memory sites within wider geopolitical and moral horizons. The project, therefore, examines how Dutch traumascapes mediate this context rather than resolve it. In doing so, the project contributes to ongoing debates on democratic memory cultures by demonstrating how agonistic approaches to heritage and remembrance can foster critical engagement without collapsing into relativism or denial.

This is what you will be doing
Required:

• Designing and conducting research under the guidance of the project leader, resulting in at least three peer-reviewed academic publications in (inter)national scientific journals, edited volumes, and/or monographs;
• Conducting historical and ethnographic fieldwork research, presenting intermediate research results at workshops and conferences and publishing three single-authored, peer reviewed articles;
• Participating in project’s meetings and activities of the sub-projects and research groups and developing a shared database;
• Co-organising knowledge dissemination activities; expert meetings and an international conference;
• Participating in committees and working groups, as well as performing project-related administrative tasks;
• Actively contributing to the research activities of AHM and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation.

This is what we ask of you
Required:

• PhD in heritage and memory studies or a relevant field;
• Excellent research skills demonstrated by a track record of publishing in high-ranking journals and/or with leading presses or a demonstrable capacity to develop such a record;
• A strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research, and capacity to writing funding grant proposals;
• Enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• Excellent command of English (and preferably good command of Dutch;
• Excellent social, communication, and organizational skills.

This is what we offer you

• The employment will be for 12 months, for 0,7 fte. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with 30 months (total 42 months). The preferred starting date is 15 April 2026.
• The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, is in accordance with researcher scale 10, excl. 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance). The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.
• UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• An enthusiastic and professional academic team;
• An inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam;
• The opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world renowned.

More information about working at the UvA can be found here: https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/about-working-at-the-uva.

This is where you'll be working
The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in de field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position, we look forward to receiving your application. Please send your cover letter and CV as a single PDF file.

The vacancy closes on 21 March 2026. The first round of interviews will take place on 6 April 2026.

For questions about the position or department, you can contact us during office hours at:

• Prof. Ihab Saloul (i.a.m.saloul@uva.nl ), Research Director AHM