Postdoctoral Researcher in Soviet-African Educational Legacies and Alumni Networks

Uva; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 41,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contract with possible extension

Competitive monthly salary 3,706–5,760

8% holiday allowance

8.3% end-of-year allowance

Professional development

Fieldwork funding

International work environment

Job summary

University of Amsterdam invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher within IRInA, an ERC Starting Grant project. You will study Soviet-educated East Africans, their professional trajectories, memories, and the modern relevance of alumni networks.

The position engages in archival research, oral history, and qualitative fieldwork across Uganda and possibly other East African countries. You will collaborate with the project leader and colleagues, develop an independent project, and

Qualifications

• Completed PhD in a relevant field.
• Experience with qualitative research, interviews, oral history, ethnographic fieldwork or archival research.
• Knowledge of languages spoken in Uganda is a strong asset; Russian or other USSR language is an advantage.
• Good command of written and spoken English and a publication record appropriate to your career stage.
• Ability to develop independent fieldwork design and undertake it in Uganda.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct an original postdoctoral project on Soviet-educated African professionals, memory and alumni networks, in consultation with the project leader.
• Undertake archival research, oral-history interviews and qualitative fieldwork in Uganda and potentially in other East African countries.
• Examine how former students remember Soviet education, including professional formation, mobility, solidarity, friendship, racialisation and political change.
• Map and analyse alumni organisations and their relationships with other institutions, embassies, universities and educational or commercial intermediaries.
• Publish at least three peer-reviewed outputs, including two single- or lead-authored journal articles, and contribute to comparative project publications.
• Present findings at international conferences and contribute to project workshops, research communication, data management and team activities.

Skills

Qualitative research

Interviews

Oral history

Ethnographic fieldwork

Archival research

Independent fieldwork design

Education

PhD in history, anthropology, African studies, sociology, political science, international relations, or related field

Job description

Trace the afterlives of socialist internationalism

During the Cold War, thousands of Africans studied at universities and other higher-education institutions in the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. Existing research tells us considerably more about their experiences abroad than about their lives after returning home. We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to study how Soviet-educated East Africans converted their acquired qualifications and connections into professional, political and social positions back home; how they remember and reinterpret their experiences; and how alumni organisations mobilise these histories today.

You will join IRInA, an interdisciplinary ERC Starting Grant project examining how East African actors navigate a diversified landscape of international partnerships. You will collaborate with the principal investigator, a PhD researcher and another postdoctoral researcher while developing a clearly identifiable individual project. In your project, Uganda will be the principal case study, which can be potentially extended to include another East African country for a comparison.

This is what you will be doing

• Design and conduct an original postdoctoral project on Soviet-educated African professionals, memory and alumni networks, in consultation with the project leader;
• Undertake archival research, oral-history interviews and qualitative fieldwork in Uganda and potentially in other selected East African countries;
• Examine how former students and their families remember Soviet education, including professional formation, mobility, solidarity, friendship, racialisation and political change;
• Map and analyse alumni organisations and their relationships with other institutions, embassies, universities and educational or commercial intermediaries;
• Publish at least three peer-reviewed academic outputs, including at least two single- or lead-authored journal articles, and contribute to comparative project publications;
• Present findings at international conferences and contribute to project workshops, research communication, data management and team activities.

This is what we ask of you

• A completed PhD in history, anthropology, African studies, sociology, political science, international relations, or a related field;
• Experience with qualitative research, preferably including interviews, oral history, ethnographic fieldwork or archival research in (East) Africa;
• Knowledge of languages spoken in Uganda is a strong asset; knowledge of Russian or another language of the former Soviet Union is an advantage;
• Good command of written and spoken English and a publication record appropriate to your career stage;
• The ability to develop independent fieldwork design and willingness to undertake it in Uganda, while contributing actively to the larger project.

This is what we offer you

• The employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with two years. The preferred starting date is 1 February 2027;
• Depending on relevant experience, the salary at the start of the employment is between 3.706,- and 5.760,- gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week. In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable;
• Excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• Funding and practical support for fieldwork, conference participation, research training and relevant archival visits within the project's approved plans and budget;
• An inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

This is where you'll be working

You will be part of IRInA, an interdisciplinary ERC Starting Grant project led by Dr. Gulnaz Sibgatullina and based at the University of Amsterdam. The research team combines historical, ethnographic and digital approaches. It includes the principal investigator, a PhD researcher and two postdoctoral researchers. In addition to your direct colleagues within the team, you will also join the vibrant community of researchers at ARTES (the Amsterdam School for Regional and Transnational Studies).

The position is based in the department of History, European Studies and Religious Studies, capacity group European Studies (program group East European History supervised by Prof. Michael Kemper) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam.

Are you interested in how Soviet education has shaped African professional lives, memories and contemporary international connections? Join our interdisciplinary research team to investigate the trajectories of Soviet-educated East Africans and the alumni organisations that reactivate these histories today.

Trace the afterlives of socialist internationalism

During the Cold War, thousands of Africans studied at universities and other higher-education institutions in the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. Existing research tells us considerably more about their experiences abroad than about their lives after returning home. We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to study how Soviet-educated East Africans converted their acquired qualifications and connections into professional, political and social positions back home; how they remember and reinterpret their experiences; and how alumni organisations mobilise these histories today.

You will join IRInA, an interdisciplinary ERC Starting Grant project examining how East African actors navigate a diversified landscape of international partnerships. You will collaborate with the principal investigator, a PhD researcher and another postdoctoral researcher while developing a clearly identifiable individual project. In your project, Uganda will be the principal case study, which can be potentially extended to include another East African country for a comparison.

This is what you will be doing

• Design and conduct an original postdoctoral project on Soviet-educated African professionals, memory and alumni networks, in consultation with the project leader;
• Undertake archival research, oral-history interviews and qualitative fieldwork in Uganda and potentially in other selected East African countries;
• Examine how former students and their families remember Soviet education, including professional formation, mobility, solidarity, friendship, racialisation and political change;
• Map and analyse alumni organisations and their relationships with other institutions, embassies, universities and educational or commercial intermediaries;
• Publish at least three peer-reviewed academic outputs, including at least two single- or lead-authored journal articles, and contribute to comparative project publications;
• Present findings at international conferences and contribute to project workshops, research communication, data management and team activities.

This is what we ask of you

• A completed PhD in history, anthropology, African studies, sociology, political science, international relations, or a related field;
• Experience with qualitative research, preferably including interviews, oral history, ethnographic fieldwork or archival research in (East) Africa;
• Knowledge of languages spoken in Uganda is a strong asset; knowledge of Russian or another language of the former Soviet Union is an advantage;
• Good command of written and spoken English and a publication record appropriate to your career stage;
• The ability to develop independent fieldwork design and willingness to undertake it in Uganda, while contributing actively to the larger project.

This is what we offer you

• The employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with two years. The preferred starting date is 1 February 2027;
• Depending on relevant experience, the salary at the start of the employment is between 3.706,- and 5.760,- gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week. In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable;
• Excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;
• Funding and practical support for fieldwork, conference participation, research training and relevant archival visits within the project's approved plans and budget;
• An inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

This is where you'll be working

You will be part of IRInA, an interdisciplinary ERC Starting Grant project led by Dr. Gulnaz Sibgatullina and based at the University of Amsterdam. The research team combines historical, ethnographic and digital approaches. It includes the principal investigator, a PhD researcher and two postdoctoral researchers. In addition to your direct colleagues within the team, you will also join the vibrant community of researchers at ARTES (the Amsterdam School for Regional and Transnational Studies).

The position is based in the department of History, European Studies and Religious Studies, capacity group European Studies (program group East European History supervised by Prof. Michael Kemper) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam.

Are you interested in how Soviet education has shaped African professional lives, memories and contemporary international connections? Join our interdisciplinary research team to investigate the trajectories of Soviet-educated East Africans and the alumni organisations that reactivate these histories today.

Questions?

For questions about the position or department, you can contact us during office hours at:

Gulnaz Sibgatullina, [e-mail]

University Lecturer