项目介绍

2026年4月11日

Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is committed to the development of knowledge with a strong scientific and social impact. With over 500 academic and support staff, we teach and conduct research in the fields of art, history, language, culture and communication, using innovative methodologies and collaborating closely across disciplines. Our research is embedded in two research institutes: the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) and the Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH). Approximately 2,500 students are currently enrolled with us across our three departments: the Department of History, Art History and Classics, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and the Department of Language and Communication. The faculty is characterised by a pleasant and open culture with various opportunities for the professional development of our staff.

Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives.

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1. Introduction

Are you eager to contribute to research on the colonial traumatic past within a transdisciplinary team? In the Traumascapes project, you will explore how embodied methods such as dance help identify and process historical trauma. Apply now for this PhD position!

2. Job description

Sites of traumatic experiences become traumascapes through the collective memory and identity formation processes that develop around them over time, including intergenerational and intersectional trauma. The PhD project ’Embodied knowledge of the past: Plantation Suriname and other cases’ focuses on the imprint left by 500 years of West European hegemony on our psyche, bodies and sense perception. How can embodied methodologies such as theatre, music and dance function as tools to identify and process trauma and generate future effect for the memory communities concerned? This research involves close collaboration with social partners such as the HERStory Art Foundation (Farida Nabibaks), Theater Thalia, and NAKS.

As a PhD candidate, you will conduct independent research, including archival research, interviews and fieldwork. You will be based at Radboud University under the joint supervision of Prof. Liedeke Plate (RU) and Prof. Esther Captain (KITLV; Utrecht University). In addition to writing your thesis, you will present your findings in peer-reviewed publications and at national and international conferences. As part of the Radboud Graduate School for the Humanities (GSH), you will also devote part of your time to training, academic services, and teaching.

This PhD forms part of the NWA ORC project ‘Traumascapes: Valuing, Negotiating and Sharing Sites of Trauma, Pain, and Loss’ (2026–2032), in which transdisciplinary teams of researchers, together with societal partners, memory communities and citizens, are conducting research into landscapes associated with collective traumas from our past. 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’. The consortium places a strong emphasis on exchange and joint reflection. In this context, you will participate in regular project-wide workshops and meetings.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You should hold, or shortly expect to obtain, a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies or a related discipline (degree must have been obtained by July 2026 at the latest).
• You have knowledge of Dutch colonial history and are motivated to address its continuing ramifications in the present.
• You have knowledge of the interdisciplinary field of memory and historical trauma studies.
• You have experience with diverse research methods, including embodied research methods, especially art-based ones such as theatre, music, and dance.
• You are sensitive to the central theme of the project: dealing with places of trauma and loss.
• You have an affinity for community engagement and collaboration.
• You can not only conduct independent research but are also a communicative person and a good team player, able to work effectively within and across research teams.
• You have good communication skills and a willingness to collaborate within an interdisciplinary research programme.
• You have strong academic writing skills in English (C1).
• Dutch proficiency (B2), or willingness to learn the language within your first year of appointment (minimum level B2), is required due to the fieldwork and Dutch-language sources involved in the project. 

4. We are

The Radboud Institute for Culture and History (RICH) is a research institute dedicated to exploring the present and the past through the lenses of culture, history, literature and art. Our researchers collaborate with academic and societal partners to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of an interconnected world and provide context for pressing societal challenges such as inequality and climate change. The PhD position will be based within the Colonial Structures and Relations research group and/or Memory, Materiality and Affect research group and forms part of the national Traumascapes project.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (0.8 FTE 5- year contract – 1.0 FTE 4- year contract) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract) or 3.5 years (5-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €€3,881 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Prof. Liedeke Plate and Prof. Esther Captain. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Thursday 28 May. Any second interview will take place on Wednesday 24 June. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2026.

We can imagine you’re curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. 

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University’s primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.