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Linnaeus University is located in Växjö and Kalmar in the southern Swedish region of Småland. The university has more than 2 100 employees and 44 000 students and offers over 200 degree programmes and 1 500 freestanding courses. Research at Linnaeus University is of high national and international quality, not least at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, where research in global history and colonial and postcolonial studies is prominent.
In collaboration with the Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies and with the support of the Crafoord Foundation, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities now announces a licentiate position in history, with a specialisation in gender, diplomacy, and imperialism in Southeast Asia. The project is affiliated with the research environment Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia.
Subject area for the position: History
Location until further notice: Växjö
Form of employment and hours: The position is limited in time in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 5, Section 7). The position is full time. The total employment period must not exceed the equivalent of full-time doctoral studies for two years. For information on the possibility of extending doctoral studies, please see ”Job description” below.
However, besides their own studies, someone employed as a doctoral student may, to a limited extent, work with education, (artistic) research, and administration, in which case the period of employment will be extended proportionally. Such work may not exceed 20 per cent of full-time work.
The current (January 2023) starting salary for a doctoral student position is SEK 29 450 per month (subject to tax).
For more information about employment and working conditions at Linnaeus University, please see the university website.
Starting date: 1 February 2024.
Job description The job responsibilities include doctoral studies leading to a licentiate degree within the framework of the project Gender, diplomacy, and imperialism: How non-male actors and transgender practices shaped the colonial world in maritime Southeast Asia. The project has received a two-year research grant (equivalent to doctoral studies up to a licentiate degree) from the Crafoord Foundation. Subject to obtaining further research funding, the successful candidate may apply for an extension of an additional two years (equivalent to doctoral studies leading to a PhD).
For more information, please see the faculty webpage on doctoral education and the general syllabus for subjects in the cultural sciences.
Summary of the Research Project
This research project in global diplomatic history examines the often overlooked role that female and non-binary (i.e., neither male nor female) actors played in diplomatic negotiations in maritime Southeast Asia from around 1750 to 1941. The project furthermore explores the diplomatic significance of gender-transgressive practices. Empirically , the project aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how gender influenced diplomatic processes and imperialist expansion in Southeast Asia. Theoretically , the project aims to contribute to a more sophisticated understanding of the significance of gender in diplomatic and imperialist contexts through the adoption of global, non-Eurocentric, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Context of the position
Your project will be affiliated with the research environment Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia, funded by the Swedish Research Council from 2021 to 2027 and led by Stefan Amirell, professor of Global History at Linnaeus University. The project currently includes seven researchers with doctorates, based in Europe and Southeast Asia. You will be expected to participate fully in the research environment's seminars, meetings, and other activities.
As a doctoral student, you will also be part of the faculty's doctoral programme in Global Humanities and play a crucial role within the faculty's research environment, especially at the centre of excellence Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies and the Department of Cultural Sciences. You will be expected to contribute actively through regular attendance at seminars and participation in workshops, residentials, and other activities, as well as to engage regularly with fellow doctoral students, teaching staff, and researchers within the faculty. You will also be expected to spend most of your working hours at the Växjö campus of Linnaeus University, unless your research or other work requires otherwise (e.g., fieldwork or archival research).
Eligibility
General entry requirements according tothe Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 7, Section 39):
A person meets the general entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if they have
Specific entry requirements for the post:
All eligibility requirements must be met by the application deadline.
For more information on specific entry requirements and doctoral education at Linnaeus University, please see the general syllabus for subjects in the cultural sciences (link provided above)
Application
The application should be written in English and include the following:
For further information about the application procedure and to apply, please visit Linnaeus University's vacancies page.
Assessment of applications
Selection will be based on the applicants' assumed ability to benefit from doctoral studies. More precisely, the assessment will be based on following criteria:
Experience of research (including research at the bachelor's and master's levels) on diplomacy and cultural encounters in Southeast Asia based on unpublished historical source material, as well as experience of working with handwritten archival materials is particularly qualifying for this position. Considerable importance will be placed on the applicants' personal qualities, their ability to independently plan and conduct research, and their collaborative skills.
Additional information
Project leader for the research environment Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia; director of the doctoral programme in Global Humanities and of the Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies; and the intended principal supervisor for the licentiate project: Professor Stefan Amirell.
Intended assistant supervisor for the licentiate project: Assiciate Professor Birgit Tremml-Werner.
Head of Department at the Department of Cultural Sciences: Ph.D. Fredrik Hanell.
HR partner: Maria Furbring.
For union representatives, please contact the university switchboard at 0772 – 28 80 00.
We welcome your application no later than 31 October 2023!
Linnaeus University has the ambition to utilize the qualities that an even gender distribution and diversity brings to the organization.
Please apply by clicking on the Apply button at the bottom of the ad. Applicants are requested to the application resolving CV, cover letter , a copy of a relevant essay , grades and certificates and other relevant documents. The applicant also requested to submit with their application a proposed research plan within the current area of research. All documents must be attached to digital in the application. The application and other documents shall be marked with the reference number. All documents cited must be received by the University no later than 24.00 (Local time in Sweden) on the closing day.