Position available on the project funded by the Czech Academy of Sciences

Project: ‘Romani Atlantic: Transcontinental Logic of Ethno-Racial Identities,’ Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia.

Postdoctoral position, 4 years

Deadline: 13 July 2022

We are pleased to announce a position available on the project funded by the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Job Title

Postdoctoral Researcher

Position

As a postdoctoral researcher you will work as a part of a research team within the project ‘Romani Atlantic: Transcontinental Logic of Ethno-Racial Identities’ coordinated by Dr. Martin Fotta and funded by the Lumina Quaeruntur Award of the Czech Academy of Sciences. You will conduct fieldwork in Portugal, researching how social place, attributes, and spheres of action ascribed to Romanies have been established and changing in relation to other communities and other racial projects.

Job information at a glance

· Start date: 01.09.2022

· Duration: 4 years

· FTE: full-time position

· Workplace: Prague

· Gross salary: 2100 EUR per month

Your qualifications

· PhD in anthropology, ethnology, human geography or related discipline.

· Solid knowledge of, and experience with, the range of ethnographic research methods

· Capacity to work autonomously and develop an independent research project dedicated to the objectives of the Romani Atlantic project

· Demonstrable writing skills manifested in high-quality PhD dissertation and peer-reviewed academic publications.

· Willingness to present at international conferences and to contribute to public communication (website, social media).

· Excellent oral and written English skills are required; working knowledge of Portuguese; Romani or Czech would be an advantage.

· Keen interest in theoretical frameworks central to the project, such as diaspora studies, Romani studies, critical race studies, or decolonial and postcolonial theories.

We offer

· International, ambitious, friendly, and supportive team.

· Opportunities to work within an innovative research project.

· Funding for fieldwork and to participate at conferences.

· Training seminars and workshops to further professional qualifications and for personal development.

· Institutional affiliation with the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

· Pleasant working environment in the centre of Prague.

Application process

The application must contain following documents:

· Motivation letter

· CV

· Writing sample (languages accepted: English, Czech, Slovak, German, Polish, Portuguese)

· Copies of your university degrees and of official transcripts

· The names and contact details of two potential referees

The (new) deadline for the application is 13.07.2022, 5 pm CET. Please email a single pdf file to office@eu.cas.cz under the subject ‘Romani Atlantic Postdoc.’

About the project

The project ‘Romani Atlantic: Transcontinental Logic of Ethno-Racial Identities’ recasts Roma from ‘the largest European minority’ to a pan-Atlantic diaspora shaped by the processes and relationships that structure the globalized world. It advances our understanding of the relational nature of identity formation and social classifications. Despite the centuries-long presence of Roma in the Americas and Africa, scholarship remains methodologically Eurocentric. Romani identities are commonly treated in isolation from global connections that shape how they view themselves and are viewed relative to other ethno-racial communities. Alternatively, the project proposes to investigate Romani identity within comparative, transnational, and intercultural frameworks. The team will conduct ethnographic and archival research in the South Atlantic (Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde) and examine Romani social position in relation to other ethno-racial projects. This will generate insights into how different racial contexts impact their belonging and interethnic interactions.

The Institution Institute of Ethnology pursues both the basic and applied research in the field of ethnology and cognate fields. The general aim of the Department of Mobility and Migration, where the project is based, is to understand the role of mobility and migration in the contemporary world and to describe and theorise how identities, practices, discourses, institutions, and places are formed and transformed as a function of movement through space and time.

Further information

If you have further questions or want more information, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Martin Fotta by email (Fotta@eu.cas.cz).

Institute of Ethnology CAS aims to employ more women researchers. We particularly encourage female and non-binary candidates to apply. Romani applicants of equal aptitude will be given preference.

We are looking forward to receiving your application!