PhD Position on early colonial North America

PhD Position on early colonial North America

Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) invites applications for a PhD position within the project “Leveraging Language, Proclaiming Power: Linguistic Politics in Early Colonial North America” (1.0 FTE, 4 years).

PhD candidate will be working within the research project funded by the Dutch Research Council’s Vidi scheme, directed by Dr. Alisa van de Haar and co‑supervised by Prof. Michiel van Groesen.

The overall project

Project examines the interplay between communication choices and power dynamics in early colonial North America (1604–1664), spanning interactions among settlers, between colonies, with Indigenous communities, enslaved individuals, and European leadership.

Five key multilingual interactions are investigated: among settlers; between competing colonies; between colonists and Indigenous communities; between colonists and enslaved individuals; and in communication with European leadership.

The PhD position

The doctoral research will examine how communicative practices in seventeenth‑century New Netherland, New France, New England, and Virginia reflected and shaped power dynamics, focusing on a multilingual corpus (handwritten and printed materials, 1604–1664). The final dissertation will offer new insights into the interplay between language strategies and power structures in French, Dutch, and English colonies.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct research on communication and power in a multilingual corpus related to seventeenth-century North America, including archival work in the US and Canada.
• Complete a PhD thesis (in English) within four years.
• Contribute to the project’s collaborative database, teaching package, and museum exhibit.
• Publish at least two co‑authored articles in peer‑reviewed journals or volumes, as well as blogs and videos for the project website.
• Present papers at conferences, both in the Netherlands and internationally.
• Participate in regular meetings of the project research group.
• Participate in the training programme of LUCAS, the Institute for History, the Leiden Graduate School of Humanities, the Huizinga Institute, and other relevant masterclasses, summer schools, seminars, workshops, and events.
• Participate in the PhD community and the intellectual life of LUCAS and the Institute for History.
• Subject to progress and demand, undertake some teaching in the second and third years of the PhD project, in line with expertise and prior experience.

Your profile

• Hold a ResMA/MRes or MA with a specialization in early modern or colonial history, or languages.
• The ResMA/MA should be awarded by the time of appointment, with a grade of 8.0 or above on a ten‑point scale (distinction or equivalent) for the thesis. If the MA thesis is not yet finished, provide contact details for your supervisor.
• Willing to work up to 2 months in archives and libraries in the US and Canada in Years 1 and 2 of the project, up to a total of 4 months for the duration of the project.
• Well‑developed research skills, including the ability to formulate creative research questions, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive writing style.
• Interest in or affinity with colonial history and languages.
• Experience with or willingness to learn about early modern archival sources.
• Full professional working proficiency in English and Dutch.
• Proficiency in French (full professional working proficiency in French is a bonus). Knowledge of Latin is also a bonus.
• Proven time‑management skills.
• Team player and independent thinker.
• Ability to finish the proposed PhD research in 4 years.

International applicants

International candidates are encouraged to apply if they have full proficiency in Dutch but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project.

Terms and conditions

PhD project, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week; alternatively, the position can be 0.8 FTE for 5 years), starting date 1 January 2027. Initially the employee will receive a 14‑month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on the condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary ranges from €3 089 gross per month in the first year for a full‑time appointment – €3 881 in the fourth year (pay scale for PhDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8 %) and end‑of‑year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Diversity and inclusion

Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community that enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research.

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