Assistant Professor Critical Race Studies, Gender & Decolonial Methods (1.0 FTE)

This vacancy is part of a broad recruitment campaign. Utrecht University's Faculty of Humanities is looking for more than 40 talented and passionate assistant professors. Based on their subject matter expertise, they will contribute to strengthening our interdisciplinary education and its connection with urgent social themes.

We are looking for colleagues who find it interesting and challenging to teach and conduct research within more than one disciplinary and institutional context. Such a cross-boundary perspective is most successful and satisfying when working from a specialisation. We are therefore looking for colleagues who unite a subject specialisation with a discipline-transcending perspective and who can give shape to multi-, inter- or transdisciplinary team teaching and team science from a specific subject expertise within and between the broad domains of Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Cultural Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication (or who want to develop further in this).

We are looking for a new colleague specializing in decolonial feminist critique, specifically in the context of cultural heritage, curating, visual culture, memory studies, and citizenship to contribute, conceptually and methodologically, to decolonial research approaches and practices.

The candidate provides an innovative take on issues of social justice, emancipation, equality, and diversity and inclusion, offering more relational approaches of inquiry. We invite applications from scholars with broader research and teaching expertise in critical race studies, postcolonialism, Global South/Global North perspectives, gender studies, and familiar with participatory and community-based or other creative/qualitative research methodologies with a background in postcolonial or gender studies, or adjacent fields. A successful candidate will also contribute to interdisciplinary collaboration within the Faculty of Humanities and beyond. 

The Faculty of Humanities of Utrecht University deploys the extra resources from the Administrative Agreement (Bestuursakkoord) in such a way that they are beneficial for team collaboration and the sustainability of humanities research.

We are looking for a colleague who:

• has teaching and research expertise in the domain of critical race studies, gender and decolonial methods;
• holds a completed PhD in postcolonial or gender studies, or adjacent fields;
• has a vision on, and perhaps experience with, ways to link that domain in teaching and/or research with other knowledge domains, based on an articulated teaching and research philosophy (multi-, inter-, or transdisciplinarity);
• has an open attitude and are able to switch easily within multidisciplinary and interprofessional teams;
• is interested in team teaching and team science to address social issues;
• has experience or interest in computational and/or data-driven perspectives on the field of this position. This will be considered an advantage.

Candidates with affinity, experience and/or appealing research and educational plans in the field of the following social issues are particularly invited to respond:

• Human artificial intelligence - Responsible design and use of AI applications, digitisation and technology;
• Cultural heritage and identity - Material and intangible heritage;
• Languages and cultures - Language variation, literacy and inclusion in the digital society - Multilingualism, transculturality and second language acquisition in education and organisations; and
• (in collaboration with the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance) Prosperity, participation and citizenship in a digital world - Communication, information and social inequality.

We offer a temporary position (1.0 FTE) for one year in an international working environment. After positive evaluation, this can be turned into a permanent position. The allocation is permanently set to 40% research and 60% teaching. Within the 60% for teaching, there is 10% free space that will not be scheduled. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranges between €3,974 and €6,181 (scale 11-12 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year.

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University.

Utrecht University works with the TRIPLE model; this makes it possible to recognise and value multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary teaching and research. The model also embraces job diversification and dynamic career paths: there is room to develop your own strengths and look at how you complement and strengthen the team as a whole.

Within Utrecht University, we find it important that employees continue to develop within their own position or towards the next. We offer coaching and a variety of training opportunities.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

Around 7,000 students and 1,100 staff are affiliated to the Faculty of Humanities. The faculty comprises four areas of expertise: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Cultural Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. Through education and research in these areas, the faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and excellent facilities in Utrecht's historic city centre, where the faculty is housed, ensure an inspiring working climate.

Our department of Media and Culture Studies has a staff with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and views. As a department, we are committed to support our staff and their development and we foster various forms of interdisciplinary collaboration and team-based teaching and research. In our department, we study a wide range of media as well as cultural and artistic expressions, also in their intermedial relations. We interpret culture as a dynamic combination of artistic, creative, and everyday activities that people use to shape their identities, and within which social processes, structures and institutions are shaped. We welcome colleagues who can further strengthen the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds in our department.