Doctoral Researcher, Memory Politics

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä is seeking to recruit:

A Doctoral Researcher in Memory Politics for a fixed term of 3 years, starting on January 2nd 2025 or according to a separate agreement.

The position is allocated to the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy (disciplinary unit of Political Science) and to a project funded by Research Council of Finland: Reframing Restitution: Postcolonial Object Movement, Transnational Memory and Social Repair (https://research.fi/en/results/funding/81356). 

Making use of research in political studies, memory and heritage studies, postcolonial and critical Indigenous studies, the project engages in an inquiry into postcolonial restitution of cultural objects from Western museums and public collections to Indigenous and formerly colonized people who are descendants of these objects’ creators and custodians. The project seeks to ‘reframe restitution’ away from the dominant imaginary of a singular event of return to socio-cultural and political processes of reclaiming, rehoming, reintegrating, re-semanticizing, repairing and remembering.

Project-specific tasks and qualifications   

The main task of the to-be-recruited Doctoral Researcher is to conduct research on restitution of cultural heritage and postcolonial object movement in one of three contexts: Greenland, (Canadian) Inuit or Sámi (Finland, Norway or Sweden).

The applicant’s research plan is expected to focus on one or more of the following questions:

1. How do selected case study/-ies of postcolonial and Indigenous peoples’ heritage returns articulate restitution as a socio-political and cultural process?
2. What are the key socio-political and cultural dynamics and elements of restitution, reclaiming and rehoming of objects? The focus can include, but is not limited to, analyses of artistic and activist projects, exhibitions, communal practices, and visual and narrative productions.
3. What are the broader effects of postcolonial and Indigenous peoples’ heritage restitution for social justice, social repair and memory politics?

The successful candidate will join a collaborative research team consisting of a Principal Investigator (their thesis supervisor) and a Postdoctoral Researcher. They will be invited to participate in internal research seminars of the project, to help plan and organize two scientific events, and to contribute to collaborative academic publication.

The candidate is expected to conduct research at high international level, and a good command of English is required for this position. Knowledge of Indigenous and other languages relevant to this project (Greenlandic, Sámi languages, Inuit languages of Canada; Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian) is an asset, as is relational knowledge of and prior research experience with Indigenous communities relevant to this project.
General tasks and qualifications 

Other duties of the Doctoral Researcher will focus on postgraduate studies. The chosen candidate needs to have a right to pursue doctoral studies at the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy prior to the commencement of the position.

The chosen candidate needs to have a Master’s degree prior to the commencement of the position. The eligibility requirements, duties and language skills of Doctoral Researcher are defined in the University of Jyväskylä Regulations and language skills guidelines. 

The Doctoral Researcher positions are rated on levels 2-4 in the YPJ salary system for Finnish universities. The monthly salary (gross income, excluding holiday bonus) for a starting doctoral researcher will be approximately 2.500 EUR (level 2). The salary level raise will be depending on the progress of the dissertation (progress of 50 %: level 3; progress of 75 %: level 4).

A trial period of six months will be used at the beginning of the employment.
How to apply? 

Please attach the following documents in English as PDF files to your online application form:

1. CV composed according to good scientific practice and considering, when possible, the template for researcher´s curriculum vitae of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (TENK);
2. Short and informal motivation letter (max. 1 page, "cover letter" on the online application form);
3. Research plan (max. 3 pages);
4. Master’s degree certificate (a PDF copy).

For further information, please contact the director of the project, Associate Professor Magdalena Zolkos (email: magdalena.a.zolkos@jyu.fi; phone: +35458017992).