Assistant professor (post-doc) as a part of the project “Religious Domains of Infrastructure and its Role among Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Georgia”, financed by the National Science Center under the OPUS 26 Scheme

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, religiosity in Georgia underwent a rapid transformation, including the construction of new infrastructure, renovation of old buildings, and reconstruction of sacred places. One of the critical research questions is how Armenians and Azerbaijanis use infrastructure in both religious and secular contexts to strengthen their position in Georgia. On the one hand, both groups must accept their minority status. On the other, their mutual relations are marked by distrust and sometimes even hostility resulting from the prolonged dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The project’s main goal is to study how the Azerbaijani and Armenian minorities in Georgia establish, use, and maintain their infrastructure related to religion. This issue shall be investigated on different levels: local relations, the relationship with the Georgian state, and transnational connections.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Hab. Anna Cieślewska

Place:

University of Lodz, Faculty of Philosophy and History, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology

•Employment type: assistant professor (post-doc), full-time (40 hours per week)

• Academic discipline: ethnology and anthropology

• Keywords: religion, South Caucasus, ethnic minorities

• Employment for 28 months as part of the project, with the possibility of extension to 36 months

• Salary 8,800 PLN gross

The competition is not open to persons holding a doctoral diploma awarded by the University of Lodz; an exception to this rule is persons holding a doctoral diploma awarded by the University of Lodz but who – after receiving it – completed a documented postdoctoral internship at least ten months at a foreign academic institution; detailed conditions for candidates for the post-doc position in competitions conducted as part of projects financed by the National Science Centre are described in the document available at: ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/uchwaly-rady/2020/uchwala137_2020-zal1.pdf (page 11);

Responsibilities:

• Field research of religious infrastructure of the Armenian community in Georgia – 5 months

• Analysis of research results

• Participation in conferences and seminars as part of the project

• Submission of scientific articles

• Co-organization of events implemented as part of the project

• Popularization of research results

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in the field of ethnology and cultural anthropology, cultural and religious studies, sociology or a related field;

• Documented scientific achievements

• Experience in fieldwork (anthropological) in the South Caucasus or non-Slavic post-Soviet region

• Excellent command (documented)of knowledge of Russian/ or a native speaker/bilingual;

• Excellent command of English;

• Knowledge of Armenian would be an asset;

• At least one independent publication in a reputable scientific journal in English;

• Strong communication skills, ability to organise and contribute to teamwork, high reliability, attention to detail, pro-active and responsible attitude, intellectual independence and originality;

• Experience in collecting and creating visual materials is an asset;

The candidate must meet the condition of no criminal record for the crimes specified in Chapter XIX and XXV of the Penal Code, in Article 189a and Article 207 of the Penal Code and in the Act of 29 July 2005 on Counteracting Drug Addiction (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1939) and for the prohibited acts specified in foreign law corresponding to these crimes.

We reserve the right to leave the candidate's application without consideration in the case of failure to submit the above declarations by the recruitment deadline.

There is no requirement to reside in (or near) permanently Łódź; however, the candidate must consider the need to participate regularly in project team meetings.

For more information about the position and the project, contact dr. Hab. Anna Cieślewska Email: anna.cieslewska@filhist.uni.lodz.pl

Offer announcement: 15.11.2024

Deadline for submission of offers: 22.12.2024

Decision date: 21.01.2025

Documents:

1. Scan of the diploma of PhD;

2. CV including information on scientific achievements, information on membership in scientific associations and organisations, field research and research projects, a list of publications, and other professional activities;

3. Documents confirming knowledge of Russian and English or a statement in the case of native speakers or bilingual persons;

4. Cover letter in English, including motivations of interest in the project and research topic, the applicant’s research experience and other scientific activities;

5. Opinion of direct supervisors from previous research projects, particularly in budget management and conducting independent field research;

6. A copy of one publication in English of your authorship;

7. Information on the processing of personal data for job candidates (available at: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/en/career );

8. Annex 1 to the Standards for the Protection of Minors at the UL Declaration for the purpose of verification in the Sex Offenders Register (available at: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/en/career );

9. Annex 2 to the Standards for the Protection of Minors at the UL Declaration of no criminal record and commitment to observe the UL Standards for the Protection of Minors  (available at: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/en/career )

Winning the competition does not guarantee employment at the University of Lodz.

The committee reserves the right to interview selected candidates.

Documents should be sent via email until 22.12.2024  to: anna.cieslewska@filhist.uni.lodz.pl