Jobid=621730484500041871 (0.0199)
ph3PhD Position on early colonial North America /h3 pPhD Position on early colonial North America Vacancy number: 16617 Job type: PhD positions Contract hours min: 38 Contract hours max: 40 Location: Leiden Applying is possible up to and including: 1 september 2026 Apply now /p h3The overall project /h3 pThis project examines the interplay between communication choices and power dynamics in early colonial North America (1604–1664). Seventeenth-century North America was a crossroads of intercultural contact, where European colonizers, Indigenous peoples, and—through enslavement—African individuals converged, creating a complex multilingual environment. To navigate this linguistic landscape, settlers and Indigenous communities developed diverse communication strategies. These practices were not neutral: every language choice (from using interpreters to imposing a specific language) carried power implications, determining who held control in an encounter. During the early decades of European settlement in what Europeans called New Netherland, New France, Virginia, and New England, a continuous dynamic developed between language practices and shifting power balances. This site of tricontinental linguistic interaction presents a valuable opportunity to improve our understanding of how language and communication reflect and shape power dynamics in multilingual societies. /p pThis project investigates five key multilingual interactions: among settlers; between competing colonies; between colonists and Indigenous communities; between colonists and enslaved individuals; and in communication with European leadership. The research team consists of comprising the Principal Investigators (Alisa van de Haar), the PhD, and a Postdoctoral researcher who will join the project in September 2027. Through comparative analyses, this team will improve our understanding of intercontinental interactions, multilingual practices, and the broader mechanisms of power structures through the lens of language. /p h3The PhD position /h3 pThis doctoral research project will examine how communicative practices in seventeenth-century New Netherland, New France, New England, and Virginia reflected and shaped power dynamics. It will examine which choices were made with regard to communication and language in encounters within individual settlements (including enslaved inhabitants), between settlements and colonies, and in interactions with Indigenous populations. For each of these communications choices, its power implications will then be assessed. The research will focus on a multilingual corpus including handwritten and printed materials covering the period 1604 to 1664. Rather than a linguistic study, the PhD project entails a historical analysis of the social implications of language choices. The final dissertation will offer new insights into the interplay between language strategies and power structures in French, Dutch, and English colonies. /p h3Key responsibilities /h3 ul liYou will conduct research on communication and power in a multilingual corpus related to seventeenth-century North America. Part of this research will take place in archives in the US and Canada; /li liYou will complete a PhD thesis (in English) within four years; /li liYou will contribute to the project’s collaborative database, and to a teaching package and museum exhibit related to the project; /li liYou will publish at least two (co‑authored) articles in peer‑reviewed journals or volumes, as well as blogs and videos for the project website; /li liYou will present papers at conferences, both in the Netherlands and internationally; /li liYou will participate in regular meetings of the project research group; /li liYou will participate in the training programme of the LUCAS Institute, the Institute for History, the Leiden Graduate School of Humanities, the Huizinga Institute (Netherlands Research School for Cultural History), and other relevant masterclasses, summer schools, seminars, workshops, and events; /li liYou will participate in the PhD community and the intellectual life of the LUCAS Institute and the Institute for History; /li liSubject to progress and demand, you will do some teaching in the second and third year of your PhD project, in line with your expertise and prior experience. /li /ul h3Your profile /h3 ul liYou hold a ResMA/MRes or MA with a specialisation in early modern or colonial history, or languages; /li liYour ResMA/MA should be awarded by time of appointment, with a grade of 8.0 or above on a ten‑point scale (distinction or equivalent) for your thesis. If the MA thesis is not yet finished, we invite you to provide contact details for your supervisor in your application letter so that we may consult with them on your progress; /li liYou are willing to work up to 2 months in archives and libraries in the US and Canada in year 1 and year 2 of the project, up to a total of 4 months for the duration of the project; /li liYou have well‑developed research skills, including the ability to formulate creative research questions, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing; /li liYou have an interest in or affinity with colonial history and languages; /li liYou have experience with or are willing to learn about early modern archival sources; /li liYou have full professional working proficiency in English and Dutch; /li liYou are proficient in French. Full professional working proficiency in French is a bonus. Knowledge of Latin is also a bonus; /li liYou have proven time‑management skills; /li liYou are a team player and an independent thinker; /li liYou have the ability to finish the proposed PhD research in 4 years. /li /ul pInternational candidates are encouraged to apply if they have full proficiency in Dutch but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project. /p h3Terms and conditions /h3 pPhD project, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week; alternatively, the position can be 0.8 FTE for 5 years), starting date 1 January 2027. Initially the employee will receive a 14‑month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from €3,089 gross per month in the first year for a full‑time appointment – €3,881 in the fourth year (pay scale for PhDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).br/Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end‑of‑year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. /p h3Diversity and inclusion /h3 pFostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive. /p /p #J-18808-Ljbffr
Deel deze vacature: