Job: PhD Researcher Socially Engaged Art in Mainland China and Hong Kong (Amsterdam)

PhD Researcher Socially Engaged Art in Mainland China and Hong Kong

Deadline: 15 August 2023
More information here.

The Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) has a vacant PhD position as part of the ERC-funded research project Resilient Cultures – Music, Art, and Cinema in Mainland China and Hong Kong (RESCUE), led by main researcher Prof. Jeroen de Kloet. ASCA is one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research. ASCA is home to more than 120 scholars and 160 PhD candidates, and is a world-leading international research school in Cultural Analysis. ASCA members share a commitment to working in an interdisciplinary framework and to maintaining a close connection with contemporary cultural and political debates.

What are you going to do?
This PhD position is embedded in the ERC-funded research project Resilient Cultures – Music, Art, and Cinema in Mainland China and Hong Kong (RESCUE). In this project we investigate the resilience of pop music, contemporary art and queer cinema in rapidly changing cultural, technological and (geo)political contexts. Specifically, we look at indie pop in Hong Kong (project 1), folk music in Mainland China (project 2), art institutes in both Hong Kong and Mainland China (project 3), as well as socially engaged art practices (project 4) and queer cinema (project 5) in both localities. The research findings will testify to the polyphony, diversity and vitality of cultural productions in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

This PhD project focuses on socially engaged art in Mainland China and Hong Kong (project 4). It involves:

  • Ethnographic fieldwork in the second and third year into socially engaged art practices in Mainland China and Hong Kong, in both rural and urban areas. This includes building rapports and carrying out formal interviews and informal dialogues with various actors.

  • Textual analysis of socially engaged art practices, and media texts.

  • Digital analysis of key platforms used in the socially engaged art field.

  • Participation in and (co-)organisation of workshops in which academics and artists participate.

Tasks and responsibilities:

  • Conducting research and completing a PhD thesis within the period of appointment;

  • Publishing three peer-reviewed journal articles within the period of appointment;

  • Setting up and managing project data (while taking into consideration the project’s risk analysis, and complying with its data management plan);

  • Participating in project meetings, and closely collaborating with other members of the research team;

  • Assisting with knowledge dissemination and with the organization of project workshops, conferences and creative events;

  • Presenting research results at national and international workshops and conferences;

  • (Co-)teaching courses at the BA-level in the 2nd and 3rd year of the appointment (max. 0,2FTE per year);

  • Participating in the ASCA and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes.

What do you have to offer?
You are passionate about developing innovative strategies for combining humanities and social science research into socially engaged art practices. You are interested in critical media and cultural theory, in inter-Asia cultural studies, art studies, postcolonial theory, platformization studies; and in combining different research methodologies. You have a strong interest in socially engaged art. In addition, you have a social and cooperative attitude, and you thrive in a team setting. You are curious and open-minded towards research traditions and methodologies you are less familiar with.

Your experience and profile:

  • A completed Master's degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences in a field relevant to the project. You may apply if you have not yet completed a Master's degree only if you provide a signed letter from your supervisor stating that you will graduate before 31 December 2023;

  • Outstanding research qualities manifested in strong BA and MA transcripts;

  • Demonstrable knowledge of and experience with (most of) the following research methods: ethnography; participant observation; individual interviews; narrative, semiotic and visual analysis; digital analysis;

  • Demonstrable experience working with theoretical frameworks, and a keen interest in the research fields central to the project: media and cultural studies, art studies, platformization studies, inter-Asia cultural studies, China studies, and Hong Kong studies;

  • Excellent written and spoken English, and a high-level of proficiency in/understanding of Mandarin and Cantonese;

  • Team spirit and experience working in an interdisciplinary, international setting;

  • Willingness to travel abroad for fieldwork, research stays, conferences and workshops;

  • Strong interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.

Experience in digital methods and in coding will be a plus.

Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA.

What can we offer you?
The PhD researcher will be appointed at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis. We offer a temporary employment contract for the period of 48 months. The first contract will be for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months, contingent on a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The employment contract is for 38 hours a week. The preferred starting date is 01 January 2024.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, ranges from € 2.541 in the first year up to a maximum of € 3.247 in the last year. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What can we offer you?
The PhD researcher will be appointed at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis. We offer a temporary employment contract for the period of 48 months. The first contract will be for 16 months, with an extension for the following 32 months, contingent on a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The employment contract is for 38 hours a week. The preferred starting date is 01 January 2024.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, ranges from € 2.541 in the first year up to a maximum of € 3.247 in the last year. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

What else do we offer

  • excellent possibilities for further professional development and education;

  • an enthusiastic, inspiring and professional academic team in the centre of Amsterdam 

Any questions?
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

Job application
If the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the link below. The deadline for applying for this vacancy is 15 August 2023.

Job, NewsPenelope Braune