Full Professor
- Brazilian Studies
Netherlands,
Leiden
JOB DESCRIPTION
During the last decade Brazil has
achieved an important position on the global stage. The country today
represents the seventh largest economy in the world and has been able to
strengthen its political presence at the international scene. Today Brazil is
an important member of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa), representing the largest emerging economies. In addition, Brazil is
rapidly positioning itself in a leading position within the Latin American
region.
Against this background Leiden
University has decided to establish a Chair in Brazilian Studies. Candidates
are invited to apply for a full Professorship Brazilian studies with a special
focus on contemporary Brazilian society. The chair holder will be based in
Leiden in the Institute for History and be in charge of the research and
teaching activities in the field of modern Brazilian history, both in the Latin
American Studies programme and in the International Studies programme. The
appointment will start in January 2016.
Key responsibilities
The new chair holder is expected to make a solid contribution to the teaching
programmes in Brazilian Studies and in International Studies at both the
bachelor and master levels within the field of modern history. In addition, the
chair holder will supervise PhD theses on Modern Brazil, design academic
projects and apply for external funding for these projects. She/he is also
expected to undertake managerial duties for the Latin American Studies
programme, for the Institute of History or for the Faculty of Humanities.
The chair holder is preferably a
generalist possessing a comprehensive academic knowledge and expertise on
present-day Brazilian society. This includes expertise regarding general
developmental issues such as poverty, inequality, access to public services,
developmental strategies and the leading position of Brazil in Latin America
and among the emerging economies. Relevant fields the chair holder in Brazilian
Studies is expected to cover are Brazil in the global context (including Brazil
foreign policies, Dutch-Brazilian relations and the BRICS context), Brazilian
local politics, social policies and economics.
Due to the fact that the bachelor and master programmes
of the Latin American Studies programme are based on an area studies
perspective, these programme require a scholar with a background in either the
humanities or the social sciences who can teach courses involving at least two
of the topics mentioned above. The Institute for History welcomes a variety of
inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to historical research and the social
sciences, particularly in the interface between modern History, Politics,
Economics and International Relations.
DESIRED SKILLS AND
EXPERIENCE
Selection criteria
Applicants will be expected to possess:
- many years of postdoctoral experience and a
well-established name within Brazilian Studies world-wide;
- a broad experience in fulfilling leading positions
within academic organizations;
- a good record of academic publications on Brazil in
international journals and publishers;
- an extensive academic network both in Brazil and
among Brazil experts abroad;
- a profound and comprehensive knowledge of Brazilian
history and development, with special emphasis on the contemporary
situation;
- an active presence in key academic forums and at
international conferences;
- a very good proficiency in Portuguese, Spanish and
English. If the candidate comes from abroad, she/he must be prepared to
learn the Dutch language within two years;
- a proven capacity to obtain external research
funding;
- a potential to develop interdisciplinary research and
teaching within the field of area studies in the Faculty of Humanities.
ABOUT THE EMPLOYER
About Brazilian
Studies at Leiden
In recent years Leiden University has invested a considerable amount of
resources in developing a limited number of ‘profile areas’, one of which is
‘Global Interactions of People, Cultures and Power’. The holder of the chair in
Brazilian Studies is expected to make an important contribution to this
‘profile area’ by contributing expertise on Brazilian politics and social
policies and on Brazil’s role as a player in global political and economic
affairs.
At the same time the holder of the
chair will be teaching courses for the Bachelor programme of Latin American
Studies. In 2014 this programme started with a track on Brazilian Studies,
which students can follow from the first year of the bachelor. Students can
specialize in Brazilian Studies and in the Portuguese language. The other
programme track is Spanish Latin America with a specialization in the Spanish
language. The bachelor programme also provides courses on Brazilian culture and
language and on Portuguese linguistics.
The Faculty of Humanities is rich in
expertise in fields such as philosophy, religious studies, history, art
history, literature, linguistics and area studies covering nearly every region
of the world. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff
members. For more information see
http://hum.leiden.edu/
The Leiden Institute for History is
one of the six research institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. The institute
is responsible for the main part of the historical research carried out at
Leiden University, see http://www.hum.leiden.edu/history.
Terms and conditions
If the successful candidate has already held a full professorship or if she/he
has successfully completed a tenure track, she/he will be eligible for a
permanent, fulltime appointment. In other cases the appointment will initially
be for a period of five years, convertible into a permanent position in case of
satisfactory performance.
The gross monthly salary will be
between € 5.103,- and € 7.431,-, commensurate with qualifications and
experience. These amounts are based on a fulltime appointment and are in
conformity with current salary scales under the collective employment agreement
(CAO) for Dutch Universities.
An appointment at Leiden University
includes pension build-up and other benefits, including an annual holiday
premium of 8% and an end-of-year premium of 8.3%. Candidates from outside the
Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More information about
the terms of employment can be found at: http://staff.leiden.edu
Information
For more information, please contact the dean of the Faculty of Humanities,
prof. dr. H.W. van den Doel, e-mail h.w.van.den.doel@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Applications
Applications should be written in English include four sub-documents, in the
following order:
- A letter explaining the applicant’s interest in the
Chair of Modern Brazilian History, the abilities and achievements that
qualify her/him for this position, and a short statement concerning
her/his views on the development of Brazilian Studies as an area study;
- CV including education and employment history,
publications, courses designed/taught (including assessments), grants and
awards, and linguistic capabilities;
- Names, positions and email addresses of three
academic experts in the field of Brazilian Studies who may be asked to
provide references (no reference letters are required);
- A research plan for the next three years including
a brief outline of at least one individual or team projects (2 pages
max.).
The deadline for applications is 22
October 2015. Please quote the vacancy number (15-331) in the motivation
letter and in the subject line of the e-mail, and send it electronically via
the "APPLY" button. All requested documents should
be submitted together in a single PDF-document, named ‘Family name – given name
– vacancy number’.
Interviews will be held on November 16th and 30th, 2015.
Reference
number: 15-331