The Department of Art and Culture Studies in the Faculty of Humanities is looking for an Assistant Professor (UD) ‘Memory and Museums’, to build upon and extend existing research strengths on this topic within AHM and the University of Amsterdam Research Priority Area, the Amsterdam Centre Cultural Heritage and Identity (ACHI).

You will be located in the Chair Group Modern and Contemporary Art History.

The post holder is envisaged to contribute to teaching at all levels in relevant domains. On the MA level the programmes ‘Museum Studies’, ‘Heritage and Memory Studies’, ‘Curating Art and Cultures’, ‘Arts, Culture and Politics’ and Research MA ‘Art Studies’ (with its Artistic Research specialisation) are relevant for this job. Several of these programmes offer internships and thus collaborate with all large museums and many cultural and heritage sites in the Netherlands.

Among the relevant BA programmes for which the post holder will likely be asked to contribute e.g. by providing interdisciplinary core or elective module(s) are Art History, especially Modern and Contemporary Art History, and also Literary and Cultural Analysis and Cultural Studies. Exhibition histories and curatorial discourses around questions of memory will be relevant.

The UD’s expertise should also complement and strengthen the Faculty of Humanities’ research strengths in the scholarship on heritage and memory studies, museum studies, cultural studies and contemporary and modern art.

Research on Memory and Museums is one of the central themes of research in the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM). AHM, as a thematic research school, is the research base for a broad spread of disciplines from Heritage and Memory Studies, to Archaeology and Conservation and Restoration to Museum Studies and Art History. Museums and heritage sites are privileged sites of preserving, valuing, contesting and reinterpreting memory, often by means of material culture. The roles of museums in society are changing, particularly with regard to questions of identity, migration, conflict and postcolonialism, problematizing the traditional roles and uses of collections, memorials and material culture.

In ACHI, ‘Memory and Museums’ is a key topic within the ‘Conflict Research Domain’ of the Centre’s priority research.

The UvA is committed to research-lead teaching.

Requirements:
The successful candidate’s teaching portfolio should complement and add to the existing courses, while also responding to growing student interest in the area of Memory and Museums, whether concerning questions of identity, migration, conflict, collections, memorials and material culture.

The ideal candidate should hold a PhD in the humanities, with a research focus on Museum Studies, Heritage and Memory studies, and Art History. The candidate should be an active and ambitious researcher with a strong publication record. Demonstrated ability to apply for and obtain research funding will be considered a plus.

The candidate’s research should be directly connected with the existing research themes of AHM in the broader area of ‘Memory and Museums’. The candidate should have/be:

- PhD in a relevant discipline;
- an international research network in the research area concerned;
- research output commensurate with the level of the position;
- demonstrable ability and ambition to obtain external research grants;
- wide experience of different forms and levels of delivering university teaching, at BA and MA level;
- the Dutch University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO), or willingness to acquire this within the first two years;
- experience with digital and audiovisual teaching facilities; affinity with ICT in university teaching;
- a good team worker and versatile at all levels, capable of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary co-operation;
- broad teaching skills, relevant to multiple departments in the Faculty of Humanities;
- excellent organizational experience and skills;
- teaching and admin duties require native or near-native fluency in Dutch and English; appointments are subject to the candidate’s proficiency in both, or their undertaking to acquire thorough knowledge of Dutch and English as speedily as possible; non-native Dutch speakers must achieve an active and passive command of Dutch within two years. Passing the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2), programme II, is a prerequisite for a permanent employment contract.

Application:
The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

The Faculty of Humanities wants to improve the diversity of its research community with respect to ethnicity, gender, sexuality and class. Applications that contribute to this are particularly encouraged.

Applications, including a motivation letter, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications, and the names and email addresses of two referees who can provide letters of recommendation, should be submitted electronically no later than 1 April 2020 to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof. Fred Weerman, by using the following link: https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/ApplicationForm.cfm?PortalID=16107&VacatureID=1093062

Only complete applications received via this link will be considered.

A trial lecture will be part of the application procedure. #LI-DNP

No agencies please

Contact for the AHM director: c.m.lermhayesuva.nl
For further information: https://www.uva.nl/en/content/vacancies/2020/02/20-130-assistant-professor-memory-and-museums.html?origin=dxuSI3bDRY2CW7N9J3yPlw&1583531456129