PhD position Latin America as an Alternative Starting Point

Department

Faculty of Arts

Organisation

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, University of Groningen, V25.0189

Job description

This fully-funded, four-year PhD position Latin America as an Alternative Starting Point: Rethinking International Relations and the Social Sciences at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen (intended start date: October 2025) will take Latin America as an alternative starting point for rethinking International Relations and/or the History of the Social Sciences. It will blend archival research with extensive secondary source reading in Spanish and/or Portuguese to pursue a combination of historical and theoretical aims.

This PhD position offers a unique opportunity to work in an inspiring international and diverse environment and to acquire valuable research experience at a top-ranked European university. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop their research and academic writing skills, undertake archival work in Latin America, present their research at national and international conferences and workshops, and gain relevant teaching experience. The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School for the Humanities and will be embedded in the Department of International Relations and International Organization.

The call especially encourages candidates from Latin America who are already inserted into local contexts and who are interested in furthering relationships between these contexts and the University of Groningen, including through the RUG’s Strategic Partnership Framework.

The PhD Project
In the PhD project, jointly supervised by Dr Christine Andrä (International Relations), Dr Ian Merkel (Latin American History), and Dr Konstantin Mierau (European Culture and Literature), the selected candidate will identify their own research focus and interest. We are open to proposals that bring together History and International Relations with a Latin American focus, so long as the candidate makes a convincing case for how the supervisory team is a good fit for their project. The two suggested framings below are meant to be indicative – the final project is to be defined by the PhD candidate.

A history of the social sciences in Latin America
The history of the social sciences has been an established field in Latin America since at least the early 2000s and has more recently been brought into dialogue with international currents. A feasible project along these lines could examine a Latin American academic institution, group, field, or intellectual whose work was transformative for the internationally oriented social sciences including, but not limited to, the discipline of International Relations. The project could take on the form of a new intellectual biography of canonical figures (for example, Darcy Ribeiro in Brazil); an examination of indigenous, Afro-descendant, or women intellectuals’ thought; a disciplinary history of a subfield of IR in a Latin American context; or an intellectual history of social-scientific ideas generated outside the academy, for instance in a Latin America-based international institution. Such a project could tie in with and significantly extend scholarship that is currently developing alternative histories of the discipline of International Relations.

A critical history of the international in/from Latin America
Critical International Relations scholarship has mobilized and cultivated multiple historical approaches – conceptual history, contrapuntal analysis and history from below, counter-archival practices, genealogy, historical ontology, narrative history, and philosophy of history, to name but a few – towards various critical ends. A possible project could utilize one or another of these approaches to develop a Latin America-centered critical history of a key concept, idea, or institution of international politics and/or the study thereof. While we are in principle open to different empirical foci falling under this broad rubric, project proposals focused on a history of Latin American thinking on conflict, violence, war, peace, and/or related phenomena would be particularly welcome. No matter its focus, the project should take on a global perspective and critically reflect back upon the chosen critical approach, thereby contributing to ongoing discussions about how the inherent limitations of European/Western-centric historical critique in and for International Relations might be overcome.

You will be asked to

- Complete the PhD in the specified timeframe (4 years).
- Take the lead in developing, conducting, and writing up the research project.
- Carry out archival research in Latin America.
- Present the research at academic conferences and workshops and prepare at least one peer-reviewed publication in addition to the thesis.
- Teach in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year (0.4 fte over the course of three years).

Organisation
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5,000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

Requirements

- A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in International Relations, History, Political and Social Sciences, or another discipline related to the proposed project, with an above-average final grade.
- Excellent academic writing skills in English.
- Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese (or, at the very least, a high proficiency and a willingness to work towards fluency).
- A broad interest in Latin America and a national or regional specialty (e.g. the Amazon, the Southern Cone, the Andes).
- The ability to develop your own research interests and academic profile, in collaboration with your supervisors.
- Prior experience with archival or other historically based research, for instance through the MA thesis or a student research assistantship, is not expected, but would be a distinguishing asset.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 48 months.

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you:

- A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,707 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
- A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income.
- An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
- A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
- The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 fte teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
- Excellent work-life balance.
- Willingness to move to and reside in The Netherlands.

The appointment will commence on 1 October 2025 at the very latest. We allow 3 months from selection in case of visa applications.

Job Application

Applications should be made in English and contain the following materials: - A short statement (c. 1,000 words) explaining your motivation for applying, including a rationale for how the supervisory team fits the intended project. - A research proposal of max. 1,500 words outlining the research problem, the research question(s), the scholarly literature(s) that the project will contribute to, and the analytical framework/research design that will be used, including an indication of archives/sources. - A curriculum vitae. - Copies of BA and MA diplomas and lists of grades. - Copy of MA thesis (if available). - If you have not yet finished your MA: a statement from your supervisor confirming the expected graduation date. - A writing sample in English: this can be your MA thesis or another research-based text (essay, research paper, article, BA thesis) that you feel best represents your work. - Contact details of two academic referees (no letters of recommendation are needed for the application process). - In the case of non-native users of English, a statement of competence/certification in written and spoken English must be submitted. This official documentation should include an official test result, e.g. IELTS score, TOEFL score or Cambridge Certificate. Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the MA thesis, and one for all other documents). You may apply for this position until 30 April 23:59pm / before 1 May 2025 Dutch local time Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Early applications are welcome. Interviews with selected candidates will be held on 16 May 2025. The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/ Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/sollicitatiecode/ and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Additional information

For additional information, please contact:

Dr Christine Andrä (for information about the project)
[email protected]

Dr Ian Merkel (for information about the project)
[email protected]

Maarten Schmaal (for questions regarding the submission procedure)
[email protected]

In your application, please always include the job opening ID V25.0189

Digital application form