University of Edinburgh, IASH
Research Fellow: Legacies of Colonialism
Institution Type: | College / University |
Location: | United Kingdom |
Position: | Doctoral Fellow, Research Professional |
JOB DESCRIPTION
UE07: £36,333.00 - £43,155.00 Per Annum
CAHSS / Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
Fixed Term Contract: Full Time - 35 Hours per Week
Fixed Term Duration: 18 months from 1st September 2023
We are looking for a Research Fellow to conduct historical research over an 18-month period that will contribute to the work of the Research and Engagement Working Group (REWG) on Engaging with the University of Edinburgh’s Historical Links to African Enslavement and Colonialism and their Racial Legacies Today. We welcome applications for this post from candidates with competence in the fields of British Colonialism and Empire, colonial/postcolonial histories of British colonialism and the history of race and/or the development of racial ‘science’. We particularly welcome applications from members of racially minoritized groups who are currently under-represented in the University.
The Opportunity:
The REWG was set up in January 2022 in response to the Principal’s announcement that the University of Edinburgh (UoE) would begin a bold decolonization and reparatory justice programme dedicated looking at ‘Issues of race, contemporary racism, Eurocentric and Afriphobic aspects of our curriculum and features of the University’s history’ (January 2021). The Principal appointed Sir Geoff Palmer to chair the Steering Group (SG) and two academic staff with relevant expertise in the areas of Black Studies, the history and legacies of African enslavement and reparatory justice, Professor Tommy J. Curry and Dr Nicola Frith, to co-chair the REWG.
The role of the co-chairs role is to write a report on the University’s historical links to slavery and colonialism and their contemporary legacies today. They are responsible for the overall coordination and production of the report, including advertising and appointing new posts, establishing a programme of work, coordinating engagement and consultation events and processes, chairing the REWG, overseeing the research, reporting to EDIC, providing progress reports to the SG, and writing the report.
The REWG is comprised of academics (including the project’s three research fellows), student representatives, community organizations and activist groups. This group meets monthly to discuss the work and its progress. The REWG works in conjunction with the SG and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC). The REWG’s role is to: provide supervision and mentorship for three postdoctoral or professional equivalent research fellows who will be hired to conduct the research component of the report; provide a bridge to relevant community groups in Edinburgh, Scotland and the UK; offer consultancy on issues relating to the legacies of African enslavement and colonialism; ensure the review’s visibility and accountability to external communities; and offer expertise on issues relating to the University’s history and legacies of slavery and colonialism.
The three research fellows are each looking at different aspects of the histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism, as linked to the University of Edinburgh. The other two posts have already started investigating African enslavement and contemporary forms of institutional racism. The candidate for this post will therefore be working alongside the other fellows by investigating links between the University and colonialism. See here for more information: https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/7075
Your skills and attributes for success:
- A PhD completed or nearing completion in history or a related area on a topic relevant to the project, or equivalent knowledge and experience developed outside formal education.
- Knowledge of scholarly literature on British colonialism and empire.
- Ability to apply relevant knowledge, skills and techniques in research, discussion and dissemination
- Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing at an appropriate level to a variety of stakeholders, including academic audiences and communities of reparatory justice interest.
- Motivated, pro-active and methodical.
Click here to view a copy of the full job description
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. We give you support, nurture your talent and reward success. You will benefit from a competitive reward package and a wide range of staff benefits, which includes a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family friendly initiatives, flexible working and much more. Access our staff benefits page for further information and use our reward calculator to find out the total value of pay and benefits provided.
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
If invited for interview you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
ABOUT US
ABOUT THE TEAM
The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is a large and diverse part of the University. Led by Vice-Principal Professor Sarah Prescott, it has over 16,000 undergraduates, over 8,400 postgraduate taught students, 1,300 research students and more than 4,000 academic and professional services staff. The College incorporates 11 Schools (Business; Divinity; Economics; Edinburgh College of Art; Education; Health in Social Sciences; History, Classics and Archaeology; Law; Literature, Languages and Cultures; Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences; and Social and Political Science), the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Centre for Open Learning. The College is located on multiple sites across Edinburgh, with the majority of Schools and College Offices based close to the central George Square area. The College, which is recognised as one of the world's leading centres for the arts, humanities and social sciences in research and teaching, has been growing and investing strongly in recent years.
The College operates at the highest levels of international quality across a very wide range of disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences and submitted 1,130 staff across 20 Units of Assessment in the REF2021. The College achieved a superb result, combining a large-scale, broad and diverse submission with very high quality outcomes: 86% of our submission was assessed as being world-leading or internationally excellent. Of the 20 Units we led or joint led, two came first in the UK for breadth and quality (Sociology, and Anthropology & Development Studies). Thirteen were ranked in the top 5. We are incredibly proud of our research environment score, which achieved a remarkable 100% in the two top categories of world-leading and internationally excellent. This part of the assessment measures the ‘vitality and sustainability’ of the schools and research centres in which research and impact is supported. This is a wonderful recognition of collegial, supportive and inclusive research culture. Within CAHSS we celebrate the contribution all of our staff made to the REF – not just our researchers, but our technical and professional services, our postgraduate and early career researchers, and our students, all of whom contribute to our flourishing environment.
Contact: |
Nicola Frith: Nicola.Frith@ed.ac.uk Tommy Curry: T.J.Curry@ed.ac.uk |
Website: | https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/7075 |
Primary Category: | Colonial and Post-Colonial History / Studies |
Secondary Categories: | African History / Studies Asian History / Studies Atlantic History / Studies Black History / Studies Ethnic History / Studies Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies Human Rights Latin American and Caribbean History / Studies Maritime History / Studies Middle East History / Studies South Asian History / Studies Indigenous Studies Race / Ethnic Studies |
Posting Date: | 06/13/2023 |
Closing Date | 07/04/2023 |