PhD Position: Embodied Knowledge of the Past – Traumascapes Project (Radboud University)
This PhD position at Radboud University invites candidates to join the Traumascapes project, focusing on the colonial traumatic past and its imprint on collective memory, identity, and embodied experience. The research explores how embodied methodologies—such as dance, theatre, and music—can help identify and process historical trauma, particularly in sites shaped by 500 years of West European hegemony. The project aims to generate future effects for memory communities by collaborating with social partners like the HERStory Art Foundation, Theater Thalia, and NAKS.
As a PhD candidate, you will conduct independent research, including archival work, interviews, and fieldwork. You will be based at Radboud University, supervised jointly by Prof. Liedeke Plate (RU) and Prof. Esther Captain (KITLV/Utrecht University). Your responsibilities include writing a thesis, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, presenting at conferences, and participating in training, academic services, and teaching as part of the Radboud Graduate School for the Humanities.
The position is embedded within the Colonial Structures and Relations and/or Memory, Materiality and Affect research groups, and forms part of the national NWA ORC project ‘Traumascapes: Valuing, Negotiating and Sharing Sites of Trauma, Pain, and Loss’ (2026–2032). The project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under the NWA ORC programme ‘Places of Value: Context-Aware Negotiation on the Future of Historically Charged Sites’. You will participate in regular workshops and meetings with a consortium that emphasizes exchange and joint reflection.
Radboud University offers a flexible and inclusive work environment, with a temporary employment contract (0.8 FTE for 5 years or 1.0 FTE for 4 years), starting salary of €3,059 gross per month (increasing to €3,881 from the fourth year), 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, extra days off (30 or 41 annual leave days), sports/cultural discounts, pension plan, and training/development schemes. The Faculty of Arts is committed to impactful research and teaching across art, history, language, culture, and communication, with a strong emphasis on professional development and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Applicants must hold or expect to obtain a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies or a related discipline by July 2026. Required qualifications include knowledge of Dutch colonial history, interdisciplinary memory and trauma studies, experience with embodied and art-based research methods, sensitivity to trauma and loss, affinity for community engagement, strong academic writing skills in English (C1), and Dutch proficiency (B2) or willingness to achieve B2 within the first year. Good communication and teamwork skills are essential.
To apply, submit your application via the Radboud University job portal, addressing your letter to Prof. Liedeke Plate and Prof. Esther Captain. Interviews are scheduled for 28 May and 24 June 2026, with a preferred start date of 1 September 2026. The application deadline is 6 May 2026.
