University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History
2 doctoral candidates (PhD students) "Repairing Technology – Fixing Society? History of Maintenance and Repair in Luxembourg (1918-1990)"
Institution Type: | College / University |
Location: | Luxembourg |
Position: | Other Professional |
The University of Luxembourg invites applications for the following vacancies in its Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH):
2 doctoral candidates (PhD student) in the field of contemporary history/history of technology (M/F)
- Ref. OTP R-AGR-3499-10-C, Acronym: REPAIR
- 14 months fixed-term contract, renewable up to 4 years, full-time position (40h/week)
- Student and employee status (48 months studies programme)
The PhD student will be a member of the Public History research unit within the C²DH at the University of Luxembourg. He/she will work under supervision of Dr. Stefan Krebs in the FNR funded research project “Repairing Technology – Fixing Society? History of Maintenance and Repair in Luxembourg (1918-1990)” (C15/SC/12547405). The REPAIR project will be the first systematic historical study of repair practices, networks and infrastructures in the short 20th century (c. 1918-1990). Within the context of this emerging topic in the field of the history of technology, the project will analyse the changes and continuities in the history of maintenance and repair, using Luxembourg as a key example of a Western consumer society. REPAIR questions the prevailing master narrative of the emergence of a consumer society and concomitant decline of repair, helping to better understand when and how people care for the technologies they routinely use and thereby highlighting the hidden importance of maintenance and repair. REPAIR encompasses three research strands: the first investigates the maintenance and repair of one of the quintessential 20th century consumer technologies: the telephone; the second traces the decline of professional repair services in Luxembourg, using Luxembourg City and Esch-sur-Alzette as case studies; and the third focuses on the development of post-war self-repair practices, situated between leisure activity and political activism. Analysing the maintenance of technical infrastructures, urban repair offers and cultures of self-repair will advance our historical knowledge of the large material, organisational, knowledge and discursive investments needed to keep technologies functioning. By revealing when, why and how technical objects were maintained, repaired or scrapped, the project will provide crucial insights into the historical and political contexts of the emergence of consumer identities, the hidden societal and environmental dimensions of repair, and the quest for more sustainable consumption practices.
Your Role:
- Write a thesis on “Infrastructures of Repair: Maintaining the Telephone System in Luxembourg”, or “Urban Repair Networks: the City of Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette”
- Contribute to research in the field of contemporary history and history of technology
For further information please contact: stefan.krebs@uni.lu
Your Profile
- Master’s degree or diploma in history, history of technology or related field
- Experience in qualitative research methods
- Good command of the following languages: English, French and/or German
We offer
- Personal work space at the University
- Dynamic and multicultural environment
Further Information
Candidates should submit the following documents:
- Motivation letter
- Curriculum vitae
- Copies of diplomas
- List of publications (if applicable)
Please send your application online by 13 January 2019 to stefan.krebs@uni.lu
Or apply online: http://emea3.mrted.ly/21aaj or http://emea3.mrted.ly/21ab7
The University of Luxembourg is an equal opportunity employer.
- Ref. OTP R-AGR-3499-10-C, Acronym: REPAIR
- 14 months fixed-term contract, renewable up to 4 years, full-time position (40h/week)
- Student and employee status (48 months studies programme)
The PhD student will be a member of the Public History research unit within the C²DH at the University of Luxembourg. He/she will work under supervision of Dr. Stefan Krebs in the FNR funded research project “Repairing Technology – Fixing Society? History of Maintenance and Repair in Luxembourg (1918-1990)” (C15/SC/12547405). The REPAIR project will be the first systematic historical study of repair practices, networks and infrastructures in the short 20th century (c. 1918-1990). Within the context of this emerging topic in the field of the history of technology, the project will analyse the changes and continuities in the history of maintenance and repair, using Luxembourg as a key example of a Western consumer society. REPAIR questions the prevailing master narrative of the emergence of a consumer society and concomitant decline of repair, helping to better understand when and how people care for the technologies they routinely use and thereby highlighting the hidden importance of maintenance and repair. REPAIR encompasses three research strands: the first investigates the maintenance and repair of one of the quintessential 20th century consumer technologies: the telephone; the second traces the decline of professional repair services in Luxembourg, using Luxembourg City and Esch-sur-Alzette as case studies; and the third focuses on the development of post-war self-repair practices, situated between leisure activity and political activism. Analysing the maintenance of technical infrastructures, urban repair offers and cultures of self-repair will advance our historical knowledge of the large material, organisational, knowledge and discursive investments needed to keep technologies functioning. By revealing when, why and how technical objects were maintained, repaired or scrapped, the project will provide crucial insights into the historical and political contexts of the emergence of consumer identities, the hidden societal and environmental dimensions of repair, and the quest for more sustainable consumption practices.
Your Role:
- Write a thesis on “Infrastructures of Repair: Maintaining the Telephone System in Luxembourg”, or “Urban Repair Networks: the City of Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette”
- Contribute to research in the field of contemporary history and history of technology
For further information please contact: stefan.krebs@uni.lu
Your Profile
- Master’s degree or diploma in history, history of technology or related field
- Experience in qualitative research methods
- Good command of the following languages: English, French and/or German
We offer
- Personal work space at the University
- Dynamic and multicultural environment
Further Information
Candidates should submit the following documents:
- Motivation letter
- Curriculum vitae
- Copies of diplomas
- List of publications (if applicable)
Please send your application online by 13 January 2019 to stefan.krebs@uni.lu
Or apply online: http://emea3.mrted.ly/21aaj or http://emea3.mrted.ly/21ab7
The University of Luxembourg is an equal opportunity employer.
Contact: |
Dr. Stefan Krebs Assistant Professor Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History University of Luxembourg Maison des Sciences Humaines 11, Porte des Sciences L-4366 Esch-Belval Email: stefan.krebs@uni.lu |
Website: | http://www.c2dh.uni.lu/people/stefan-krebs |
Primary Category: | History of Science, Medicine, and Technology |
Secondary Categories: | Contemporary History Cultural History / Studies Environmental History / Studies Oral History Urban History / Studies Modern European History / Studies |
Posting Date: | 12/10/2018 |
Closing Date | 01/18/2019 |