University of Texas - Austin, African and African Diaspora Studies

Assistant Professor – Visual Culture Studies

Position Title: 

Assistant Professor – Visual Culture Studies

Position Description

The Department of African and African Diaspora Studies at The University of Texas at Austin invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in the areas of visual culture and art history with research focusing on gender, sexuality, race, and power. Applications from affiliated disciplines are welcome. The specializations might include (but are not limited to) visual or material culture, museum studies and cultural studies, anthropology and media studies across Africa, Latin America, Oceania, or Asia; the arts of the Black Atlantic and African Diasporas; or trans-Asian cinema.

We are particularly interested in applicants whose research, teaching, and scholarship engage in artistic and humanistic inquiry into Black communities, emphasizing visual art and culture as they relate to gender, sexuality, race, and power. The ability to situate these interests within a global context is desirable. Desired candidates will have an emerging research record relating to visual culture and art history at the intersection of gender, sexuality, race, and power articulated within Africa and the African Diaspora. A successful candidate will help expand curricular offerings, promote Black Studies, and participate in an increasing intellectual community across disciplines. 

The African and African Diaspora Studies Department (AADS) is committed to interdisciplinary scholarship and creative production that explores the history and culture of Black people around the globe. AADS is part of the Black Studies Collective, which includes the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis, and the Art Galleries at Black Studies. Our scholarship, cultural creativity, and pedagogical practices reflect our investment in comparative and transnational approaches, intersectional analyses, and critical theoretical frameworks. These attributes mirror our collective commitment as scholars, artists, teachers, and students to bridging the perceived gap between scholarly and artistic work and political engagement. We promote the activist academic careers of our students and faculty members, coordinate with Black staff on University issues of relevance to our communities, and collaborate with local, national, and international organizations in the investigation and enhancement of the lives of Black people. 

Job duties include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses related to Black visual culture studies and related topics at the introductory and advanced levels; engagement with and contribution to the intellectual community, which necessarily means participating on and chairing search committees; organizing lecture series and other related programming; and mentoring students, among other activities. 

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. for appointment as an Assistant Professor or expect to obtain it within a year of joining the faculty as an Instructor. Preference is for a Ph.D. in African and African Diaspora Studies or a Black Studies equivalent. Applicants holding a Ph.D. in a traditional discipline or interdisciplinary field must have a record or trajectory of research on the visual culture of people of African descent. Preferred qualifications also include a solid and ongoing history of research, publication, and teaching on gender, sex/sexuality, race, and power articulated within Africa and the African Diaspora.

Application Instructions

Review of applications will begin October 15, 2023, and continue until the position is filled. Please submit a cover letter, a list of at least three references, a sample of scholarly writing (30 pages maximum length), and a curriculum vitae to the following link: http://apply.interfolio.com/130580

Semi-finalists will be invited to participate in an on-campus interview in early 2024. 

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Position funding is subject to budget availability.