Job position

Postdoctoral Researcher

Job position requirements (skills/languages/required experience)

Research experience working on early modern Spain.

DESCRIPTION

The ERC research project, The Cultural History of the Black Diaspora in Early Modern Spain (BADEMS), is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher for 3 years (extendable to 42 months) on Early Modern Iberian History with an interest in Cultural Minorities with effect from 1 October 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The Badems project focuses on the cultural legacy of Black women and men that lived in the Iberian Peninsula in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It aims at narrating an untold story of both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage that Black Africans created as singers, dancers, actors, storytellers, and poets, as well as exploring the ways black Africans refashioned and contributed to the production of early modern cultural narratives and the era’s multilingual practices. It is expected that Black singers, poets, dancers, and other cultural creators overlapped with other occupational activities and professions, such as laborers and translators, for which the project will explore the context, agency, and limitations to that agency in the production of Black cultural heritage. With a focus on the Iberian Peninsula and in connection with the broader Iberian World, BADEMS seeks to promote a further understanding of Black communities –and their cross-communitarian relationships in Iberia– by investigating their experiences of survival through creativity and the processes of identity-building and transcultural practices in sixteenth and seventeenth-century Spain. The project is opened to studies focusing of the Lusophone world as well as to global studies departing and/or connected to the Peninsula since the aforementioned communities were multi-situated.

BADEMS runs under the supervision of Dr Diana Berruezo-Sánchez (PI) and has two interrelated teams. First, a team of four research assistants conducting archival work in various cities —Seville, Madrid, Cádiz, Granada, and Badajoz— and gathering data to the development of a digital archive of Black creators (Black women and men who professionally or occasionally performed as artist, for instance, as musicians, actors, storytellers, and dancers). Second, a team of five early modernists working on the fields of Literature, Linguistics, Cultural History and Black Studies and based at the Faculty of Spanish Studies at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. All members of the project will use cross-disciplinary methods which will be implemented in online weekly sessions pulling expertise and suggestions from the team’s each discipline; online preliminary workshops seeking specific skills and expertise (i.e., familiarisation with certain archives); and online research seminars with scholars of disciplines that complement the team’s expertise. These meetings will provide constant knowledge exchange between all members of the project, along with specific synergies of members and tasks.

This 36-month position will be part of the larger team of earlymodernists based at the Univesitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The successful candidate will implement a line of research focused on the processes of transcultural negotiation of black women and men living in Spain who interacted with black people from different parts of Africa, and other minority and mainstream groups. While using the global Iberian World, the successful candidate will explore the local cultural context, concerns, spirituality, and contributions of black Africans in early modern Spain and conduct comparative work to explore transculturality across the Atlantic. This approach will use broader tools of analysis to investigate early modern black African communities globally and locally. Keeping in mind that early modern Iberia was culturally interconnected (i.e., exchange of printed products, creation of same villancios de negros, and plays) and that Cartagena de Indias and Lima shared an intellectual and cultural milieu with Lisbon, Seville, and Cadiz, this broad perspective will be complemented with the analysis on the cultural creators and transcultural practices in urban areas such as Lisbon, Cartagena de Indias, and Lima, which were culturally linked to cities in Spain, with a special focus on the sociocultural factors that allowed for and limited the cultural negotiation of black Africans; on the reasons for them to engage in cultural creations, such as evangelical purposes and sense of belonging; and on the role of creativity in the processes of survival and of identity-building. The focus is to investigate underexplored areas about black communities in Spain and provide methods for a more thorough examination of the sources (Court records, trials, chronicles of fiestas and religious celebrations, etc.).

This line of research will provide context for the study cases of the project’s digital archive and collaborate with other team members. It will use different sets of sources that will be co-analysed, synthesized, and connected in online weekly meetings. Parallel to specific set of sources and analyses, the successful candidate will collaborate with the Research Assistants who would reveal study

cases, while simultaneously providing context for the Research Assistants’ entries to the digital archive, thus connecting the expertise and work of all members of the project. The successful candidate is expected to be an important part of both the implementation and dissemination of the project, for which she/he/they will be expected to carry independent research, attend and organize workshops and conferences, and produce research outputs. In particular, it is expected to draft a book-length monograph on the transcultural practices of black communities and the making of blackness across the Atlantic.

DUTIES

The main tasks of the position will be as follows:

 - Carry out some of the project’s tasks:

• 
  
• Together with the PI, the successful candidate will compare the results of areas of creativity to other black African diasporas in Iberia, and analyse the reasons behind over- or under-represented areas in Spain
• 
  
• Identify the culture-contact processes of the black African diaspora in Spain using a comparative framework with Iberia
• 
  
• Analyse processes of cultural and linguistic creolization in the African diasporas in Iberia and evaluate the reasons why these happened (or not) in Spain.

- The expected results of these tasks will contribute to promoting a a narrative about the sociocultural factors that allowed for and limited the cultural negotiation of black Africans; about the reasons for them to engage in cultural creations, such as evangelical purposes and sense of belonging; and about the role of creativity in the processes of survival and of identity-building.

- Producing an outstanding research output (i.e., monograph) with the results, preferably in English.

- Producing an outstanding research output (i.e., monograph) with the results, preferably in English.

- Attend, participate and/or organize relevant public events (conferences, workshops, team’s meetings, scientific meetings) as part of the research project.

- Actively participating in the updating of the project’s website.

- Contributing to the project’s Data Management Platform.

- Contribute to the project’s activities (reading groups, meetings, workshops, etc.)

- Disseminate the project’s results in several national and international conferences, as well as at least one top-ranked scientific journal. The project will cover the travel expenses related to data collection and conferences attendance (up to a maximum established in the budget approved by the ERC).

- Contributing to the development of a digital archive by providing context to the data found by the research assistants.

- Carry out an active role in seeking data and sources of information, and reporting to the PI and other members to help reassessing the work.

- Working independently and collaboratively with the team.

- Actively participating in weekly meetings. These would entail reporting findings or lack of findings, proposing alternative ways of finding material if needed, helping colleagues directing their findings, knowledge exchange, etc. There may be weeks with more than one meeting, and also individual meetings.

- Attending in-person induction workshops. It is expected a workshop at the beginning of the contract to familiarize oneself with the project and few others later in the contract to familiarize oneself with IT tools of encoding the information.

Lengh of contract: 3 years 

Hours: 37.5 - Timetable: Monday to Friday 9 - 17:30

Benefits

Minimum wage of 34.981,56€ p.a. This minimum gross salary can be negotiated based on the candidate’s CV and expertise.

Research with a multidisciplinary research project; academic career; research support and mentoring for publications and further applications; building a network of international scholars across different academic cultures; learning managerial skills; and having the opportunity to develop language skills.

Education (Required)

The completion of a doctorate in early modern History. Priority will be given to cultural historians of the Iberian Peninsula in the early modern period; historians of early modern Black diasporas in Spain; historians of confraternities; historians of related expertise may also be considered

IT skills (Desiderable)

No specific software knowledge is required but successful candidates will have working knowledge of regular IT tools and social networks.

Languages (Desiderable)

Native or near-native fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish is required, as well as familiarisation with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spanish language. Knowledge of Portuguese to read records is desirable.

Experience (Desiderable)

Evidence of sufficient specialist knowledge to work on early modern Spain. Successful candidates are expected to have experience in conducting research and have produced (or being producing) significant research outputs.

Further criteria (Desiderable)

Motivation and curiosity for Black histories. Ability and commitment to work both independently and collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary and international team. Motivation to pursue a career in research. Excellent written and communication skills. Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.

APPLICATION

- DNI or passaport

- Copy of your PhD.

- Language certificates (if you have them).

- A full CV including qualifications, research and job experiences, publications, languages, and other aspects deemed important for the job.

- Cover letter in Spanish or English. This should include how you think you meet the selection criteria; a summary of the significance of your publications (also those in progress); and how you see yourself fitting in a research group working on Black diasporas.

- One written sample (published or in progress).

- Two reference letters must be sent directly to oscar.ruiz@uab.cat

Eligibility criteria 

Research experience, PhD in a relevant field, knowledge of early modern Spain, motivation for research Black diasporas.

• Academic record 10

PhD in relevant field – 10, PhD in related fields – 5

• Research experience in early modern Spain – 50

• Language skills – 10

Native or near-native fluency in written and spoken English and Native or near-native fluency in written and spoken Spanish.

• Motivation – 10

• Interview – 20

A cover letter explaining how you meet these criteria must be submitted along with the CV, two letters of reference (must be sent in a separate email directly to oscar.ruiz@uab.cat) and a written sample (either published or in progress).

The appointment committee recognises that candidates can contribute to these goals in many different ways, and will use its professional judgment –based on the evidence available– to decide how successfully candidates could make such contributions, bearing in mind the needs of the project.

Minimum score required to pass the selection process: 75

Selection process:

All applications will be acknowledged after receipt and will be considered by the selection committee as soon as possible after the closing date. All shortlisted candidates will be interviewed and will be asked to give a short presentation to the committee as part of the interview process.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates are expected to be held online at the beginning of March. It is expected that online interviews will be of about 45 minutes, with a presentation by the candidate and questions about the cover letter, CV, motivation, etc.

Starting date: 1 October 2025. There will be flexibility for a delayed start but preferably no later than 31st December 2025.

The selection panel is committed to fairness in selection decisions. Members of selection committees will be aware of the principles of equality of opportunity, fair selection and the risks of bias. Applications are particularly welcome from women and Black and minority ethnic candidates. If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognising that your research experiences may have been affected as a result.

Informal enquires can be made to pr.badems@uab.cat

The selection committee reserves the right to not fill this position if no suitable candidates are identified.

To validate this request, you must validate the form that is accessed at the URL https://seleccio.uab.cat/ 

Any application that is not submitted in this way will not be included in the selection process.