Pedagogical University of Kraków announces an open call for a PhD scholarship as part of a National Science Centre of Poland SONATA project The Role of Postcolonial Concepts in Defining the Polish State and Its Relations with Africa during the Twentieth Century (PI: Dr. Piotr Puchalski).

The successful candidate will receive a monthly stipend of 5000 PLN (gross) starting from 1 October 2023. There will be the possibility of starting later, i.e. (1 November 2023), if justified reasonably. In addition, the grant offers financial support for research travel and other related costs.

It is expected that the PhD student will conduct research on the topic of the grant, participate in meetings of the research group and international conferences, and pursue a doctoral degree by writing a dissertation (not necessarily related to the grant topic) and fulfilling all the other requirements of the PUK Doctoral School.

Details of the project: The aim of our project is to inspect the role of postcolonial concepts in the formation of the Polish state and its relations with Africa in the twentieth century. In our definition, Polish “postcolonial concepts” each reflected a belief that countries in both Eastern Europe and Africa suffered from political, economic, and cultural domination of empires. In other words, we trace the emergence and regular use of ideas that positioned the Polish lands and Poland as marked by a sort of colonialism that was similar to the one practiced in Africa. For a full description and in case of questions, please contact the PI.

Requirements: Master’s degree in history, anthropology, African studies or related field; linguistic competence (Polish and English obligatory; French, German, Russian, and/or Portuguese welcomed); ability to work in a team and good managerial skills are also welcomed.

Responsibilities: analyses of pertinent primary sources from the twentieth century, including queries for terms and phrases; paraphrasing and summarising articles, press columns or chapters; quantifying findings; sharing results with the PI and preparing publications and conference presentations

Submissions should include:

- cover letter (one page)
- CV, indicating the candidate’s Master’s degree defence date
- academic transcript(s)
- description of research interests and their connection to the project and future dissertation topic
- list of publications and academic talks (if applicable)
- Master’s thesis in the electronic format (if applicable)
- contact information for two references willing to submit recommendation letters.

Documents should be submitted as one compiled PDF file by the deadline of 31 July 2023 to the PI at piotr.puchalski@up.krakow.pl.

Formal requirements and legal notes (in Polish) can be accessed at: https://www.ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2019/uchwala25_2019-zal1.pdf.

Selected candidates will be asked to conduct online interviews in English (via MS Teams, Skype or Zoom) in early August.