The Department of Art & Culture, History, and Antiquity of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor (tenure track) in Global Economic and Social History, with a specialization in the history of Latin America (1800 up to present). Starting date will be 1 February 2022. The successful applicant will play a central role in teaching our courses on Global Economic and Social History (GESH). 30% of working time will be available for research. VU historians are actively involved in the CLUE+ Research Institute for Culture, Cognition, History, and Heritage and in national and international research networks and schools.

Your duties

• teaching and developing courses in GESH and participating in other courses in the broader Geschiedenis (Dutch) and History and International Studies (English) BA programmes as well as in our MA programmes; supervision and evaluation of bachelor’s and master’s theses. Examples of courses that you may be asked to teach are the first-year introductory course on global history (World History 1800–present) and the second-year courses on the history of capitalism (Handel en kapitalisme) and on Transatlantic Connections
• initiating and performing outstanding research leading to new publications
• preparing or participating in the writing of grant applications
• administrative or management tasks, including an active role in recruiting new students

• a completed PhD thesis in History that demonstrates a clear affinity with methods of Global Economic and Social History, with a focus on the modern history of Latin America
• a proven track record of independent research, as demonstrated by publications (one or more books; chapters in volumes; articles in academic journals) and contributions to public debate
• experience in working with Latin American archival collections (which may include digitized collections), and an academic network (or network in development) with connections to scholars and institutions located in Latin America
• relevant teaching experience (as evidenced by excellent teaching evaluations) as well as a teaching qualification (BKO/UTQ or similar), or a willingness to obtain such qualification within the first two years of appointment
• the ability to communicate and teach in English (CEFR C1 level for reading, listening, writing, speaking)
• the ability to communicate and teach in Dutch or willingness to learn Dutch within two years (CEFR C1 level for reading, listening, writing, speaking)

Desirable

• versatility in the use of digital humanities methods
• demonstrated ability in writing research proposals to acquire external research funding
• openness to building connections between your own areas of expertise and ongoing research projects within the Global Economic and Social History group that might fall outside your immediate specialism (including, but not limited to: environmental history; migration history; the history of capitalism, colonialism, and decolonization)

Fixed-term contract: 5 years.

We offer a tenure-track position at the level of Assistant Professor initially for the duration of 5 years, Starting at 1 February 2022. Tenure can be achieved if the faculty criteria for Assistant Professor are fulfilled. For the duration of the tenure track, performance will be evaluated in terms of teaching, publication record, attempts to acquire research funding either individually or in consortia, academic service and valorisation. After a successful evaluation, permanent employment will be granted.

On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3,807 (scale 11) and a maximum €5,211 (scale 11), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 0.7 FTE.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• child daycare facilities available on campus
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities links a number of fields of study: Language, Literature and Communication, Art & Culture, History, Antiquities and Philosophy. Our teaching and research focus on current societal and scientific themes: from artificial intelligence to visual culture, from urbanization to the history of slavery, from ‘fake news’ in journalism to communication in organizations. We strive to ensure small group sizes. Innovative education and interdisciplinary research are our hallmarks.

Working at the Faculty of Humanities means making a real contribution to the quality of leading education and research in an inspiring and personal work and study climate. We employ more than 250 staff members, and we are home to around 1,300 students.
 
Global Economic and Social History at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The chair of Global Economic and Social History at VU is part of the Global History Group, which also includes chairs in Water and Environmental History and in Global History from an Anthropological Perspective. It is part of the History cluster in the Faculty of Humanities’ Department of Art & Culture, History, and Antiquity.
The GESH chair investigates the history of flows of people, goods and ideas around the world. It closely cooperates with the International Institute for Social History in Amsterdam (IISG), a leading research institute for the history of social movements, labour and capitalism. We ask questions such as: What are the roots of social and economic inequality within and between nations? What effects does the development of capitalism have on globalization, state formation, labour relations and cultural change? How do urban and rural societies cope with worldwide economic changes? How do knowledge societies and economies develop and what is their relation to globalization? How do large-scale economic and social developments affect heritage and collective memory?
Our focus areas:

• Capitalism, colonialism, culture and society
• (Forced) labour and migration
• Knowledge societies and economies