We are seeking to appoint two postdoctoral researchers from 1 October 2014 or as soon as possible thereafter to work on the project ‘Nomadic Empires: A World-Historical Perspective’, directed by Professor Pekka Hämäläinen and funded by a €2 million ERC Consolidator Grant (2014-19). The project seeks to provide a wide-ranging, inclusive and comparative reinterpretation of the history of nomadic empires from the fourth century BCE to the late nineteenth century CE, covering both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The project will employ a total of five postdoctoral researchers in producing a series of monographs and scholarly articles. During the project, several small workshops and a large international conference will be held in Oxford.
The large scope of the Nomadic Empire project invites multiple interpretive angles, allowing the research team to pool ideas and share empirical work in different archives while developing individual approaches and interpretations. Complementing each other’s expertise and research experience, the appointees will produce a cluster of scholarship that will reorient not only the history of nomadic empires but several other fields from borderlands to world history.
The appointees will have responsibility for researching some important aspect of nomadic empires or expansionist nomadic societies. The appointees’ research can focus on a specific group, region, or theme. We are seeking, in particular, candidates capable of situating their research in a comparative global context. Each appointee will produce a sole-authored monograph on some major aspect of his/her area of specialty. S/he will be required to represent the project and deliver papers at team workshops, external workshops, conferences, public events, and other meetings. S/he will also be expected to contribute to the development of project workshops and conferences. The successful candidates will hold a doctorate in a relevant field and will have excellent knowledge of the historiography, methodology, primary sources, and relevant languages of his/her area of expertise.
Only applications received before 12 noon UK time on Monday 9 June 2014 can be considered. Interviews are expected to be held on 25 June 2014. You will be required to upload a CV and supporting statement as part of your online application (and, separately, to email a sample of your writing to board.admin(at)history.ox.ac.uk by the same deadline). For further particulars, and to apply online, go to http://www.ox.ac.uk/about/jobs/index.html and search under Vacancy Ref. 113258.