3 Fully Funded PhD Positions in Literary Studies

3 fully funded PhD Positions in Literary Studies on ERC Project 'AFROPRESS'

Position description 

The Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, is looking for 3 PhD-students.  

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains:  

• You will become part of a new ERC project, ‘AFROPRESS: Recovering Global Exchanges from Sub-Saharan Africa’s Cultural and Political Magazines in the Age of Black Internationalism, 1918-68’ 
• You will conduct individual research on cultural, literary and/or art magazines in Sub-Saharan Africa in the period 1918-68 and write a dissertation on one of the following topics:
  • PhD 1: South African magazines in the early Apartheid period (1948-68), with a particular focus on their transnational dimensions.
  • PhD 2: cultural and art magazines from Belgian and French Congo (1918-60), with a particular focus on their transnational dimensions
  • PhD 3: cultural and literary magazines from Madagascar (1923-60), with a particular focus on their transnational dimensions.
• You will contribute to the delivery of the ERC project’s output, including conference papers and journal articles.
• You will collaborate with other team members, including assisting the Principal Investigator (PI). 

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.  

Profile 

What do we expect from you? 

• You hold a MA degree in Literary Studies or a closely related field (in hand by October 2025).
• For PhD 1 (South Africa)
  • You have excellent proficiency in English, written and spoken.
  • Desirable criteria, but not required: You have a background in the study of periodicals and/or South African literature. You are familiar with any of South Africa’s languages other than English. 
• For PhD 2 (Congo)
  • You have excellent proficiency in French and good proficiency in English.
  • Desirable criteria, but not required: You have a background in the study of Congolese literature/art and/or periodical studies (especially from a visual angle). You are familiar with any of the region’s languages other than French. 
• For PhD 3 (Madagascar)
  • You have excellent proficiency in French and good proficiency in English
  • Desirable criteria, but not required: You have a background in the study of periodicals and/or Madagascan literature. You can read Malagasy. 

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

Offer 

Are you going to be our new colleague? 

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, initially for 12 months but extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities, with planned starting date 01/10/2025.  

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government. 

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university. 

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career. 

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses; 

Interested? 

Then apply, at the latest on 30/05/2025 and upload the following documents (please click on the 'Apply' button above):

• Your CV;
• Your motivation letter including a description of your proposed research within the project;
• Your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni);
• Please also have a letter of recommendation submitted directly to cedric.van.dijck@vub.be. This letter should be sent by the recommender, not the candidate, and should arrive before 31-5-2025. 

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Cedric Van Dijck at cedric.van.dijck@vub.be 

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to our career site, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues. 

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.

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