Institution Type:   College / University
Location:   Netherlands, Leiden University, Modern East Asia Research Centre (MEARC)
Position:   Post-Doctoral Fellow

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH POSITION (38hrs/week, 3 years maximum)

The Modern East Asia Research Centre (MEARC) at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands, invites applications for one 1-year postdoc position within the VICI research project Beyond Utopia: New Politics, the Politics of Knowledge, and the Science Fictional Field of Japan. Should performance be satisfactory enough, the position could be extended for up to 2 further years.  Principle researcher is Prof. dr. Chris Goto-Jones, Professor of Comparative Philosophy & Political Thought, Leiden University.

Successful candidates will begin their position no later than September 2011.

Project description

Recognizing that, since the end of the Cold War, political theorists around the world have embarked upon a deliberate quest for difference and innovation in their discipline, triggered by the apparently world historic victory of liberal capitalism, this project aims to uncover a series of sites of difference and innovation. In particular, it locates itself in two kinds of distancing: geo-cultural (ie. in the non-European space of Japan) and medial (ie. in innovative expressive media). Utilizing the techno-media of anime, manga and video games, and focusing on the radical potentials of the genre of speculative science fiction, this project aims to analyze and model a series of political visions as potential alternatives to liberal capitalism, hence contributing to the field of political thought.

Furthermore, acknowledging that these widely popular techno-medial products utilize different grammars of expression from conventional, text-based media, this project seeks to formulate a research methodology for scholars to employ for critical interventions into these fields. Accepting that the dimensions of the public sphere change with time and technological developments, and hypothesizing that the public sphere in many contemporary societies is now informed by this techno-politics, at stake is the ability of scholars to remain in touch with (and persuasive in) political realities: new forms of literacy are required if scholars seek to remain involved in the new public sphere. This project attempts to outline those forms of literacy, as implied by the rapidly globalizing force of Japanese anime, manga and video games.

This project is funded by the NWO (The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research).

Postdoc subproject

The postdoc will be tasked with selecting a particular mechanism, idea, or narrative theme from the science fictional field and tracking it across different technologies and media in order to investigate the ways in which particular media influence political meanings. The projects focus is on the function and translation of political rhetoric between techno-medial expressions of comparable units.

Subproject deliverables and tasks

• one monograph
• one conference paper (final conference)
• contribution to a teaching programme in an appropriate field
• teamwork with the other researchers on this project (PhD candidates and the principal researcher)

Requirements

Candidates should hold a PhD degree. Preference will be given to candidates with:

• a PhD in Political Science/Thought or Philosophy and a demonstrable knowledge of modern Japanese
• a PhD in Japanese Studies and a demonstrable specialization in Political Thought, or Philosophy
• a PhD in Media Studies, with demonstrable expertise in Political Thought or Philosophy and in Japanese language
• outstanding research qualities manifested in a high-quality dissertation and articles published in peer reviewed journal
• excellent command of English.

Offer

We offer one fulltime (38hrs/week) Postdoc position for a period of 1 year in the first instance, extendable to 3 years maximum on the basis of performance. The salary will be according to education and experience, and will range between Euro 2379,- and Euro 2612,-  gross per month in the first year based on fulltime employment, with additional holiday and end-of-year bonuses   salary scale 10 (in accordance with current salary scales as set out in the collective labour agreement for Dutch Universities).

Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

How to apply

Applications can be emailed in PDF format to the following email address: info@mearc.eu

Applications can also be send via registered mail:

Modern East Asia Research Centre
LIAS – Leiden University
Attn. Esther Truijen
PO Box 9515
2300 RA LEIDEN
The Netherlands

The deadline for applications is 1 April 2011.

Only applications emailed or postmarked on or before this date will be accepted.

Documents needed

In order to apply, the applicant must submit the following

• a curriculum vitae;
• a letter of motivation;
• a short research proposal of up to three pages;
• a maximum of three sample publications (thesis, refereed journal articles, edited volume chapters, monograph);
• list of courses taught;
• name and contact details of three referees.

NB Each document should contain the applicants name in the header or footer.

Further inquiries

For further inquiries, please contact Esther TRUIJEN, manager of MEARC at info@mearc.eu

For more information about the project, please visit: www.mearc.eu or www.asiascape.net/vistas

Contact: For further inquiries, please contact Esther TRUIJEN, manager of MEARC at info@mearc.eu