Alisa van de Haar
2 months ago
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PhD Position on Early Colonial North America: Language, Power, and Multilingual History Leiden University in Netherlands
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
History
Funding
PhD employment contract for 4 years (1.0 FTE, or 0.8 FTE for 5 years). Salary ranges from €3,089 gross per month in the first year to €3,881 in the fourth year for full-time appointment, plus 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, training and career development support, and possible tax break for candidates from outside the Netherlands.
Deadline
Sep 1, 2026
Country
Netherlands
University
Leiden University
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About this position
Leiden University is advertising a PhD position within the project Leveraging Language, Proclaiming Power: Linguistic Politics in Early Colonial North America at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS).
The project examines language, communication, and power in early colonial North America (1604–1664), with a focus on multilingual encounters in New Netherland, New France, New England, and Virginia. The doctoral researcher will study how communication choices shaped social and political power relations among settlers, Indigenous communities, enslaved individuals, and colonial leadership.
This PhD is especially relevant for candidates interested in history, linguistics, colonial history, and the social implications of multilingual communication. The research uses a multilingual corpus of handwritten and printed sources and includes archival work in the United States and Canada. The project is historical rather than purely linguistic, and the dissertation will analyze French, Dutch, and English colonial contexts.
The position is part of a larger research team led by dr. Alisa van de Haar (PI, university lecturer in historical French literature at Leiden University), with Prof. Michiel van Groesen as co-supervisor. The PhD candidate will contribute to a collaborative database, teaching materials, a museum exhibit, publications, blogs, videos, and conference presentations.
Eligibility highlights: applicants should hold a ResMA/MRes or MA in early modern or colonial history, or languages; have a thesis grade of 8.0 or above (or equivalent); and demonstrate full professional working proficiency in English and Dutch, plus proficiency in French. Knowledge of Latin is a bonus. Candidates should be prepared for archival research and be able to complete the doctorate within four years.
Funding and terms: this is a salaried PhD employment contract for 4 years (or 5 years at 0.8 FTE), starting 1 January 2027. Salary ranges from €3,089 gross per month in year 1 to €3,881 in year 4, with holiday allowance, end-of-year bonus, and training/career development support.
Deadline: applications must be submitted online by 1 September 2026. Interviews are expected in the second half of September.
How to apply: use the online recruitment system on the vacancy page. Upload a motivation letter, CV, referee details, MA thesis or writing sample, grade list and language certificates, and degree certificate or supervisor contact details if the thesis is unfinished.
Funding details
PhD employment contract for 4 years (1.0 FTE, or 0.8 FTE for 5 years). Salary ranges from €3,089 gross per month in the first year to €3,881 in the fourth year for full-time appointment, plus 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, training and career development support, and possible tax break for candidates from outside the Netherlands.
What's required
Applicants must hold a ResMA/MRes or MA in early modern or colonial history, or languages, and the degree must be awarded by the time of appointment. The MA thesis should have a grade of 8.0 or above on a ten-point scale (or distinction/equivalent). Candidates need full professional working proficiency in English and Dutch, proficiency in French, and knowledge of Latin is a bonus. Experience with early modern archival sources is preferred, or willingness to learn. Applicants should have strong research, analytical, writing, time-management, teamwork, and independent thinking skills, and must be able to complete the PhD in four years. International candidates must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands and have full proficiency in Dutch.
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