SIMBDEA - Doctoral research fellowship in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies

Doctoral research fellowship in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies

Department of Culture Studies and Oriental LanguagesDoctoral research fellowship in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies

Description

A doctoral research fellowship within the field of Museum and Cultural Heritage studies is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo.

IKOS seeks to recruit a doctoral candidate with excellent research qualifications who will investigate the relationships between cultural heritage and indigenous identity.

The successful doctoral project will engage critically with the notion of indigenous identity and, taking a contemporary perspective, will explore its connections with aspects of tangible and/or intangible cultural heritage (including but not limited to, museums and museum collections, as well as Nature as cultural heritage).

The project may for instance explore the role of cultural heritage in: definitions of indigeneity; the definition and transmission of indigenous knowledge; the politics of the past and the (re)writing of history from a post-colonial perspective; indigenous environmental activism; and indigenous cultural revitalization in the 21st century. Also relevant are investigations of specific practices of display, preservation, interpretation or knowledge production – relating to indigenous heritage – and their connection with indigenous identities. Other topics may also be relevant.

The regional focus of the study is open.

The PhD candidate will be based at IKOS, a department with a unique and broad expertise within the study of religion and culture, and within language-based area studies, including South Asia, East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The department also has a Centre for Museum Studies with which the PhD candidate will be associated. The Centre for Museum Studies is an interdisciplinary research cluster that applies a range of diverse perspectives on museums and musealization processes. The Centre's main areas of expertise include: museums and the history of knowledge, museums and the politics of identity, and how museums organize and manage culture and nature. The Centre’s academics constitute an active and internationally engaged group of scholars investigating the fields of museum and heritage studies from a range of different academic disciplines and research perspectives. The successful candidate is expected to wholeheartedly join the group and take active part in its activities.

The successful candidate must engage in the designated research activities on a full-time basis.

The person appointed will be affiliated with the Faculty's organized research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research milieu or network and contribute to its development. Read more about the doctoral degree.

All PhD Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant.

Requirements

A Master's Degree or equivalent in museum studies, cultural heritage studies, cultural history, indigenous studies, anthropology, or other relevant area. The Master's Degree must have been obtained by the time of application.
Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

The project's scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation
The applicant’s academic and personal qualifications (including the necessary linguistic skills to conduct field research)
The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame
The applicant's ability to complete research training
Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

We offer

Salary level per year NOK 432 700 - 489 300, depending on level of expertise
a professionally stimulating working environment
attractive welfare benefits

Submissions

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application, preferably in pdf format:

Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
Curriculum Vitae (complete list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications)
Transcript of records of your Master's degree. Applicants with education from a foreign university are advised to attach an explanation of their university's grading system
Project description, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3 - 5 pages, see Template for project descriptions)

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Educational certificates, master theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

Short-listed candidates may be invited for an interview at the University of Oslo.

See also Guidelines for the application assessment process and appointments to research fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, demographic information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.