PhD scholarship within the project Postwar Memory Generations – contested memory, historical narratives and history education in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia

PhD scholarship within the project Postwar Memory Generations – contested memory, historical narratives and history education in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia

The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studiesin the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for a three-year PhD scholarship on the topic of cultural memory and history education in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The scholarship is fully funded for three years and will be filled on 1 January 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project
The PhD position is opened within the framework of the collective research project Postwar Memory Generations – contested memory, historical narratives and history education in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, which is funded by Velux Fonden (January 2023 – January 2026). The PhD-fellow will join a research team of four scholars working within the project Postwar Memory Generations and will be supervised by the project manager, Associate Professor Tea Sindbæk Andersen.

The project Postwar Memory Generations investigates the role of history education and history schoolbooks in shaping cultural memory in war-torn regions. Cultural memories, understood as shared narratives and representations of a common past, are core elements of group identities and essential in the social fabric of modern societies. The role of history education in creating cultural memory is fundamental. History education and history textbooks are generally considered vital tools for states to ingrain a certain collective memory and to socialise future citizens. Yet, we know little about the actual impact of history education. This is especially relevant in post-conflict regions with a painful recent past, such as Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). In such contexts, questions of what and how to remember are typically contested and contentious. The ways in which questions of memory are resolved have implications for relations between neighbouring countries, generations and groups in society. The project investigates how generations schooled in BiH and Serbia in the 2000s and 2010s remember the Yugoslav wars.

Job content
The PhD-fellow will work in the interdisciplinary research environment of the research project Postwar Memory Generations. As part of a team of researchers coming from language-based area studies, history and social psychology, the candidate must be willing and able to participate in regular research and outreach activities where we engage in cross-disciplinary discussions. The candidate will be expected to carry out ethnographic fieldwork and observations in high schools in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thus, a working knowledge of Bosnian and/or Serbian is mandatory. Moreover, the candidate should be aware that there is a mandatory three-year plan for the PhD-program that also includes 30 ECTS of PhD-courses and one semester of teaching obligations.

Introduction
PhD studies consist of research programmes that qualify students for independent and wide-ranging research, development and teaching at international level. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their own research project (under supervision). The programme culminates in the submission of a PhD thesis, which the student must defend in public. The programme is prescribed to 180 ECTS points, corresponding to three years of full-time study.

A PhD opens up a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the general public.

Qualification requirements
Applicants must have a two-year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent within the field of area studies, history, education studies, social anthropology or a similar discipline and, as a minimum, have submitted a Master’s thesis for which they have received pre-approval at the time of application.

The qualifications of applicants with non-Danish Master’s degrees will be assessed to ascertain whether they correspond to the Danish level. For further information, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Education and Research: https://ufm.dk/en/education/admission-and-guidance .

Applicants must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. A working knowledge of Bosnian and/or Serbian is mandatory. If deemed necessary, the department may request that applicants document their English or other language skills.

Application
All applications must be submitted online, in PDF or Microsoft Word format, via the link “Apply for the position” at the bottom of the page.

The application must include:

1. Cover letter
Please state motivations for applying and describe qualifications in accordance with the needs of the project

2. CV
Applications must be accompanied by a CV (max.one page) and a list of publications, where relevant.

3. Documentation (diplomas and transcripts)
Applicants must upload the following:

• A copy of their Master’s degree diploma or similar (if this is not available by the application deadline, applicants must document pre-approval of their Master’s thesis)
• A copy of their Master’s degree transcript
• A copy of their Bachelor’s degree diploma
• A copy of their Bachelor’s degree transcript.

Applicants with a degree from a university where the working language is not English or one of the Scandinavian languages must submit a translation of their Master’s diploma and/or diploma transcripts approved by the Danish embassy or consulate in the country where the original document was issued. These documents must be translated into English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. An official description of the grading scale (and a diploma supplement where relevant) must also be attached.

Chinese applicants must attach a China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Evaluation Committee (CADGEEC) certificate.

4. Other relevant material
Please do not upload or submit recommendations, publications, theses, etc.

Assessment criteria 
The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:

• Research qualifications, as reflected in the attached CV
• Competencies and knowledge of relevant fields of academic research
• Level (grades obtained) of Bachelor and Master’s studies.

The recruitment process
After the deadline for applications, the Head of Department considers advice from the Appointment Committee and then selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been shortlisted. After this, the Head of Department sets up an expert Assessment Committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Individual applicants will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.

Enrolment
It is a prerequisite for employment that successful applicants enrol at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen.

For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk/become-phd-student/what-is-it/structure-of-the-phd-programme

For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: https://phd.ku.dk/english/

Remuneration and terms of employment
Appointment as a PhD Fellow is subject to the collective bargaining agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

We seek to reflect the breadth and diversity of society and encourage applications irrespective of personal background.

Contact information
For further information about the position and the research project, please contact Associate Professor Tea Sindbæk Andersen, e-mail:  [email protected]

For any further questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Academic officer Maritxell Abrahamsson e-mail: [email protected], please refer to ID number 211-1202/22-2H #1.

The deadline for applications is 1 October 2022 CEST, at 23:59

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

However, changes may be made to the submitted application right up until the deadline.

For further information about the application procedure, please refer to the University of Copenhagen website:https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

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.