The Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) has a vacant PhD position as part of the ERC-funded research project Resilient Cultures – Music, Art, and Cinema in Mainland China and Hong Kong (RESCUE), led by main researcher Prof. Jeroen de Kloet. ASCA is one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research. ASCA is home to more than 120 scholars and 160 PhD candidates, and is a world-leading international research school in Cultural Analysis. ASCA members share a commitment to working in an interdisciplinary framework and to maintaining a close connection with contemporary cultural and political debates.

What are you going to do?
This PhD position is embedded in the ERC-funded research project Resilient Cultures – Music, Art, and Cinema in Mainland China and Hong Kong (RESCUE). In this project we investigate the resilience of pop music, contemporary art and queer cinema in rapidly changing cultural, technological and (geo)political contexts. We look in particular at indie pop in Hong Kong (project 1), folk music in Mainland China (project 2), art institutes in both Hong Kong and Mainland China (project 3), as well as socially engaged art practices (project 4) and queer cinema (project 5) in both localities. The research findings will testify to the polyphony, diversity and vitality of cultural productions in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

This PhD project focuses on queer cinema culture in Mainland China and Hong Kong (project 5). It involves:

• Ethnographic fieldwork in the second and third year into queer cinema culture in Mainland China and Hong Kong. This includes building rapports and carrying out formal interviews and informal dialogues with various actors.
• Textual analysis of queer (micro) cinema, and media texts.
• Digital analysis of key platforms used by queer cinema cultures.
• Participation in and (co-)organisation of workshops in which academics and filmmakers participate.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Conducting research and completing a PhD thesis within the period of appointment;
• Publishing three peer-reviewed journal articles within the period of appointment;
• Setting up and managing project data (while taking into consideration the project’s risk analysis, and complying with its data management plan);
• Participating in project meetings, and closely collaborating with other members of the research team;
• Assisting with knowledge dissemination and with the organization of project workshops, conferences and creative events;
• Presenting research results at national and international workshops and conferences;
• (Co-)teaching courses at the BA-level in the 2nd and 3rd year of the appointment (max. 0,2FTE per year);
• Participating in the ASCA and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes.

You are passionate about developing innovative strategies for combining humanities and social science research into queer cinema cultures. You are interested in critical media and cultural theory, in inter-Asia cultural studies, film studies, postcolonial theory, platformization studies; and in combining different research methodologies. You have a strong interest in and affinity with queer cinema and queer cultures. In addition, you have a social and cooperative attitude, and you thrive in a team setting. You are curious and open-minded towards research traditions and methodologies you are less familiar with.

Your experience and profile:

• A completed Master's degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences in a field relevant to the project. You may apply if you have not yet completed a Master's degree only if you provide a signed letter from your supervisor stating that you will graduate before 31 December 2023;
• Outstanding research qualities manifested in strong BA and MA transcripts;
• Demonstrable knowledge of and experience with (most of) the following research methods: ethnography; participant observation; individual interviews; narrative, semiotic and visual analysis; digital analysis;
• Demonstrable experience working with theoretical frameworks, and a keen interest in the research fields central to the project: media and cultural studies, film studies, platformization studies, inter-Asia cultural studies, China studies, and Hong Kong studies;
• Excellent written and spoken English, and a high-level of proficiency in/understanding of Mandarin and Cantoneses;
• Team spirit and experience working in an interdisciplinary, international setting;
• Willingness to travel abroad for fieldwork, research stays, conferences and workshops;
• Strong interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.

Experience in digital methods and in coding will be a plus.

Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA.

The PhD researcher will be appointed at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis. We offer a temporary employment contract for the period of 48 months. The first contract will be for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months, contingent on a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The employment contract is for 38 hours a week. The preferred starting date is 01 January 2024.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, ranges from € 2.541 in the first year up to a maximum of € 3.247 in the last year. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What else do we offer

• PhD candidates receive a tuition fee waiver;
• PhD candidates have free access to courses offered by the Graduate School of Humanities and the Dutch National Research Schools;
• excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• an enthusiastic, inspiring and professional academic team in the centre of Amsterdam.

Faculty of Humanities

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 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.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.