Post-doctoral scholarship holder visual and digital cultures

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

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The Department of Communication Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences is looking for a part-time post-doctoral scholarship holder (70%) in the field of Visual and Digital Cultures.

Position

• You will work in collaboration with the ERC CoG project ReWorkChange - Remote Work and Social Change: An Anthropological Approach, under the supervision of Prof. Elisabetta Costa.
• Your research will focus on the visual dimensions of remote work and/or develop and apply visual methodologies.
• The objective of the ERC project is to investigate the social consequences of remote work.  The project will conduct a comparative study of the consequences of remote work on people’s everyday lives in six countries: China, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands and Turkey. It will provide rich and compelling ethnographic evidence of everyday practices and will generate theories of social institutions and a broader theory of remote work and social change. What are the consequences of remote work and always-on-connectivity on people's everyday lives? How do these affect social institutions such as the home, family, household and friendship, as well as broader processes of social change? ReWorkChange aims to answer these questions by delivering a comparative ethnographic study of the societal consequences of remote work. The project is grounded in long-term ethnographic fieldwork. It builds on the methods of anthropology and digital anthropology that emphasize direct observation of places, media, technologies, and practices. You will conduct ethnographic research in a field-site in Belgium
• You will develop your own post-doctoral project in close collaboration with ReWorkChange. You will jointly draft articles, books, and other outputs for scholarly publication. You will present your work at national and international conferences (50% FTE).
• You will teach the course MA Photography & Intermediality (6 ECTS- credits, 2E semester) (10% FTE) https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/study/programmes/all-programmes/master-film-studies-visual-culture/study-programme/
• You will work as media and project manager for the ERC project, https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/projects/reworkchange/ (10% FTE)
• You will be member of the vibrant community of ViDi (Visual and Digital Cultures Research Centre).

Profile

• You hold a PhD in in Social and Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, Media and Communication Studies, Visual and/or Digital Cultures or related disciplines, or will have obtained it by the time you start the project.
• You have expertise in visual cultures and visual methodologies
• You have completed your PhD less than two years before the start of the project on 1^st October 2025.
• You have a solid background in qualitative research methods and are willing to carry out ethnographic fieldwork.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.
• You speak and write fluently in English.
• You speak either French or Dutch
• You are willing to teach a MA course on Photography & Intermediality
• Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

What we offer

• We offer a part-time appointment (70% FTE) as a postdoctoral scholarship holder for a period of three years.
• The planned start date is 1^st October 2025.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for postdoctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• You will do most of your work at City Campus in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 5^th June 2025 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:  
  • a motivation letter
  • your academic CV
  • 1 published journal article
  • a one-page proposal for a potential research project related to the overall topic of ReWorkChange
  • a syllabus for the course Photography & Intermediality
• The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure. If you are shortlisted, interviews will take place in June.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to [email protected]. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Prof. Elisabetta Costa, ([email protected]).

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.