Postdoctoral position in medical humanities: History of migration, illness and psychiatry (CULTMIND)

The Department of English, Germanic and Romance studies (ENGEROM), University of Copenhagen (UCPH), and the Centre for Culture and the Mind invite applications for a 24-month post-doctoral researcher position in the history of migration and psychiatry.

The expected starting date is 1 May 2024 or as soon as possible.

The position is funded by the DNRF Centre of Excellence, Centre for Culture and the Mind (CULTMIND).

The successful candidate will work closely with the Centre leader Ana Antic, and Drs Lamia Moghnieh, Jessica Carlsson and Peter Leese. The Candidate will join a dynamic international and interdisciplinary research team.

Job content 
The Centre for Culture and the Mind explores the puzzling relationship between cultural difference and the human psyche from a variety of disciplinary perspectives: historical, anthropological, psychiatric, sociological, literary and psychological. It zooms in on the core questions about the universality or otherwise of the human mind, which remain as difficult to answer today as they were a century ago.

The Centre proposes that the issue of culture-mind relationship lays at the core of many social, political and medical debates: within cross-cultural psychiatry/psychotherapy, in trauma studies, and in migration and refugee studies. It explores how the human mind and common humanity have been imagined in different cultural, sociopolitical and disciplinary contexts, examining the assumptions and forces which shaped such definitions. By analysing how different cross-cultural models of the psyche were formulated and critiqued, the Centre’s interdisciplinary team aims to develop a new framework for understanding cross-cultural interventions, which pushes beyond the binary of universalism and cultural relativism in order to arrive at a more nuanced model of interaction between socio-cultural contexts and ideas of the psyche.

The Centre consists of four interrelated thematic strands: cross-cultural research in human sciences; cross-cultural notions of trauma and resilience; cross-cultural therapeutics and creative mind; and cross-cultural encounters and population movements (migration).

The postdoctoral researcher will be a core member of the Centre’s thematic strand on cross-cultural exchanges and population movements. This strand, informed by multiple disciplines such as anthropology, history, literature and clinical practice, explores how different ‘psy’ and social science disciplines have conceptualised the mind and its socio-cultural attributes in order to address questions and problems related to cross-cultural movement, communication and understanding. It focuses on the fields of migration and refugee psychiatry, exploring their complex histories and their vital role in shaping present-day discussions about migration and refugeedom. Among other themes, it explores how displacement, cultural adaptation and integration became constructed as fields of psychiatric intervention.

Qualification requirements
In order to be considered for the position applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding to what can be achieved as part of a successfully completed PhD within a relevant field.

The candidate should hold a PhD degree in the field of history, anthropology or medical humanities, with a focus on migration and refugee studies, and have in-depth knowledge of core debates around displacement, refugee experiences and ‘psy’ disciplines and interventions (as well as relevant language proficiency in accordance with the field of expertise). The candidate will conduct primary source research in a select range of archives and libraries, and take part in designing and implementing oral interviews if necessary. Experience with interdisciplinary and collaborative work, as well as with themes connecting migration and indigeneity, will be an asset. The postdoc will be expected to collaborate closely with researchers in clinical settings, and to explore how historical narratives of migration, psychiatry and illness have shaped contemporary discourses.

The successful candidate is expected to work both independently and in collaboration with the research team. Within the Centre, the candidate will take part in broader intellectual and methodological discussions around the Centre’s goals and general directions, and will also be expected to design and work on an original research project (either in the form of a monograph or a series of articles).

The postdoc position is a full-time research position and does not involve any teaching obligations. The candidate is also expected to take active part in the academic life of the Centre.

For further information, including more details on the Centre for Culture and the Mind, please contact Ana Antic at [email protected]

For further details about the qualification requirements for postdocs, please refer to the job structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2019: employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf

Application
Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format.

Please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page.

The application must be written in English and include the following enclosures:

• Application letter/cover letter (max 1 page).
• Curriculum vitae (with applicant’s e-mail & telephone number).
• Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, etc.).
• Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with *.
• Research plan, including a short description of previous research and a plan for the coming years that includes an account of how the applicant will contribute to the Centre (max 3 pages).
• Documentation of teaching qualifications and research dissemination, if any
• Publications. Applicants may choose a maximum of three publications for assessment. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and listed from 1 to 3.

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavours, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The Faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

Only material in English can be expected to be assessed.

Appointment procedure
After the application deadline, the Head of Department selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the appointment committee.  All applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Further information about the application procedure is available from (HR), e-mail: [email protected] .  Please refer to ID number: 211-1691/23-2I

Salary and conditions of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 36,412,60, (EUR approx. 4,880,) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please read more here: https://ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/pension/

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH here : http://ism.ku.dk , http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/frontpage.htm and https://www.workindenmark.dk/

UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

The closing date for applications is 15 February 2024 23:59 CET

Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.