2 doctoral and 2 postdoctoral positions at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

Job opportunity, deadline for applications 18 October 2019

The Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is one of Germany’s leading research universities. The „Institute for Social Movements“ (ISB) is a central research institute of the RUB under the directorship of Professor Stefan Berger, which has a long track record of researching the comparative history and present-day relevance of social movements.

The ISB is looking for

2 postdoctoral researchers (full time; payment according to German public service scale - E 13 TV-L)

and

2 doctoral researchers (part time 65%; payment according to German public service scale - E 13 TV-L)

in the framework of the research project “Europe’s Postwar Consensus: A Golden Age of Social Cohesion and Social Mobility?”. This five-year project (2019-24) will be led by Prof. Dr. Jan De Graaf, recipient of the 2019 Sofja Kovalevskaja Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung and the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. The post-doc researcher positions are available for four years from 1 February 2020. The doctoral researcher positions are available for three years from 1 February 2020. 

The first postdoctoral research project studies how Social Democratic politicians and parties sought to regain and retain control over society in postwar Europe. It focuses on three Social Democratic parties in postwar Europe, including at least the Austrian Socialist Party and the Dutch Labour Party. A third case study is for the applicant to decide.
The second postdoctoral research project analyzes the ideology behind and the reality of social mobility in the new towns that sprang up across postwar Europe. It focuses on Great Britain, Czechoslovakia and a third case study for the applicant to decide.
You can find further information on the projects here: http://l.rub.de/d467f0c7.
Both postdoc researcher positions require an excellent PhD in History or a neighboring discipline, a very good command of written and spoken English, experience conducting research in local archives, a strong interest in social history, and a strong publication record and/or successful funding applications.
Applicants for the first project need at least reading knowledge of German and Dutch and of the language(s) required for the third case study. Applicants for the second project need at least reading knowledge of Czech and of the language(s) required for the third case study.
The first doctoral research project explores the social cohesion of postwar European societies on the basis of an integrated comparison between two coal mining communities: the Ruhr in West Germany and Upper Silesia in Poland.
The second doctoral research project investigates how a career in the police or the security services constituted a vehicle of upward mobility for youngsters from a disadvantaged rural background. It focuses on Italy in Western Europe, while a second Eastern European case study (not Czechoslovakia or the GDR) is for the applicant to decide.
Both doctoral researcher positions require an excellent MA degree in History or a neighboring discipline, a very good command of written and spoken English, experience conducting research in local archives, a strong interest in social history.
Applicants for the first project need at least reading knowledge of German and Polish. Applicants for the second project need at least reading knowledge of Italian and of the language required for the second case study.
The RUB is an equal-opportunity employer, and seeks to enhance a fair gender distribution in all job categories and at all levels. The RUB welcomes applications from female candidates and candidates with a disability.

Please send an application with a cover letter (1 page), your CV including a publication list, a sample of written work, and the names of two referees to Dr. Hans-Christoph Seidel, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institut für soziale Bewegungen, Clemensstraße 17-19, 44789 Bochum or Christoph.Seidel@rub.de. Deadline: 18 October 2019. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a 2.500 word research proposal on the project of their choice by 8 November 2019.
If you have any questions on the research project, please contact Jan De Graaf (Jan.DeGraaf@kuleuven.be). For questions on the application process, please contact Christoph Seidel (Christoph.Seidel@rub.de).

 

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