JOB 27.03.2023

Assistant Professor, Social Practice in Contemporary Art and Culture, Amsterdam

Amsterdam, 01.09.2023
Bewerbungsschluss: 24.04.2023

Prof.Dr. Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes

What are you going to do?

You will provide education in a dynamic context with ample opportunities for the development of innovative teaching methods. Your research will be part of the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM), one of the five research schools of the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research. AHM, as a thematic research school, is the research base for a broad spread of disciplines from Heritage, Memory and Museum Studies, to Archaeology, Conservation and Restoration, Media 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 Department of Art and Culture Studies in the Faculty of Humanities is looking for an Assistant professor ‘Social Practice in Contemporary Art and Culture’ to build upon extend existing research strengths on this topic. You will provide education in a dynamic context with ample opportunities for the development of innovative teaching methods. You will develop and provide modules within the field of Social Practice in Contemporary Art and Culture such as in the context of the interdisciplinary Bachelor Global Arts, Culture and Politics, with the majors ‘Art, Media and Visual Culture’, ‘Culture and Social Justice’, and ‘Reimagining Sustainability’. Important is proven flexibility in teaching on topics beyond your own research focus, a willingness to work in interdisciplinary teams of teachers and the ability to offer inspiring lectures and tutorials in BA, MA and minor programmes that attract a wide range of students. You will contribute to teaching at all levels in relevant domains. Among the relevant BA and MA programmes the post holder will likely be asked to contribute by providing interdisciplinary core or elective module(s) are Cultural Studies and Art History.

Your research will be part of the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (AHM). Research School members collaborate in and across many thematic groups, including in AHM: ‘Artistic Knowing: Research in and on Cultural Practices’, ‘Museums and Interpretation’, and ‘Global Trajectories of Thought and Memory. In this setting, you will be expected to bring your theoretical and potentially also practice-based contributions and your situated investment in the field of contemporary culture, art and social practice to bear on UvA research and teaching. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates whose research addresses contemporary art and culture studies with a focus on social practice / socially engaged art, artists’ instituting practices / cultural workers-run institutions / institutional critique, and art activism and musealization. Within the area of social practice or socially engaged art and culture mobilized for social change and empowerment, we value candidates with transnational expertise and those adopting a global perspective.

Tasks and responsibilities:

- Designing and conducting independent research on, in and through contemporary culture and institutions, broadly conceived, in relation to issues such as social practice, art(istic) research, curating, and/or activism. This will include work on the practical, societal, and epistemological dimensions of contemporary culture, art and social practices, resulting in contributions to academic peer-reviewed international journals and books, as well as exhibition curation / art practice and the various forms in which social practice materializes and is communicated;
- actively pursuing external funding for research and creative endeavours, notably funding from research councils, national as well as European;
- actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
- actively contributing to the research activities of AHM;
- developing, coordinating and teaching courses in both Dutch and English, in the BA and MA programmes of Art History, Art and Performance Research Studies and related fields;
- supervising BA and MA theses and tutoring students; co-supervising PhD theses;
- actively contributing to the development and improvement of teaching programmes in the department;
- taking part in committees and working groups, and carrying out departmental administrative tasks as directed.

What do you have to offer?

You are a dynamic and ambitious researcher with a strong profile, demonstrable by international publications / exhibitions and an international academic / social practice / artistic / art institutional network. Your outputs show broad, transnational knowledge of the ways in which contemporary culture and art and its exhibitions / institutions critically engage with society and the academy. You are familiar with and theoretically contribute to expert discourses on the link between aesthetics and the social, contemporary social practice / socially engaged art, art(istic) research, curating and contemporary art history from a global perspective. You have a strong investment in and contribute to contemporary art, social practice, art theory, curation, and other innovative methods at the intersection of art and humanities research, particularly those that challenge traditional epistemological categories. Your research matches the profile of AHM, and in particular the themes named above.

You are able to develop and provide modules on e.g. art and / as research; contemporary culture and art, its production, exhibition, functions in society, institutionalization / musealization and reception. Important is proven flexibility in teaching on topics beyond your own research focus, a willingness to work in interdisciplinary teams of teachers and the ability to offer inspiring lectures and tutorials in the BA, MA and minor programmes that aspire to a wide range of students.

Your experience and profile:

- a PhD in the Arts / Humanities / Cultural Studies with a research focus on social practice in art;
- international academic network in the relevant research areas;
- research output commensurate with the level of the position;
- active and ambitious researcher with a strong publication record;
affinity and experience with collaborating with public, private, and civil society partners in field of arts and the creative industries;
- demonstrable ability and ambition to obtain external research grants;
- wide and relevant teaching experience at BA and MA level;
- excellent command (near-native fluency) of both Dutch and English: Non-native Dutch speakers must achieve both active and passive command of Dutch within two years (passing the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language programme II is a prerequisite for a permanent employment contract);
- experience with digital and audiovisual teaching facilities and affinity with ICT in university teaching;
- experience with valorization and practice-based education and/or research;
- good team worker and versatile at all levels, capable of multidisciplinary co-operation;
- excellent organisational experience and skills;
- a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ), or willingness to acquire this within the first two years of the employment contract.

Research that entails collaboration with non-academic institutions and agencies in the Netherlands, Europe, and beyond is highly welcome.

What can we offer you?

We offer permanent employment upon a satisfactory evaluation following a temporary employment contract of a maximum of 18 months with a probationary period of two months. If you already have an employment contract with the UvA, we offer permanent employment upon a satisfactory evaluation following a temporary employment contract of a maximum of 12 months. The employment is for 38 hours per week. Preferred starting date is 01 September 2023.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, ranges between € 3.974 (scale 11) to € 6.181 (scale 12) dependent on relevant experience. 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.

We additionally offer:

the opportunity to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams;
excellent opportunities for study and personal development;
an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

About us

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.

For questions about this position or the department you may contact:

Prof. Kati Röttger, chair of the department Art and Culture
Prof. Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes, chair of Modern and Contemporary Art History: c.m.lermhayesuva.nl

Job Application

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the link below. The deadline for applying for this vacancy is 24 April 2023.

Applications should include the following information (submitted in one .pdf):
- a letter of motivation;
- a detailed CV;
- a list of publications;
- the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.

The interviews will be held in the course of May 2023. A trial lecture may be part of the application procedure.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize 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.

No agencies please.

Faculteit/Dienst: Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen
Opleidingsniveau: Gepromoveerd
Functie type: Wetenschappelijk Personeel
Sluitingsdatum: 24 April 2023
Vacaturenummer: 11397

Quellennachweis:
JOB: Assistant Professor, Social Practice in Contemporary Art and Culture, Amsterdam. In: ArtHist.net, 27.03.2023. Letzter Zugriff 29.03.2024. <https://arthist.net/archive/38893>.

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