Deadline: June 1, 2025
We invite applications for a post-doctoral research position in the project Patchwork Parliaments. Post-Imperial Field of Power in The New Republic Of Poland, Greater Romania and The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after the First World War funded by the Polish National Science Center.
The project Patchwork Parliaments studies the historical and social conditions of politics in a state made up of post-imperial tributary regions. We focus on constituent assemblies to understand the dynamic interrelationships between personal, regional and state factors in Poland, Greater Romania and The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, three countries made from scraps of former empires. We will seek answers to questions about how different types of elites and regional groupings compete for power with the help of different resources, or capitals. Methodologically, the study builds on (1) parliamentary debates, (2) the political divisions and social contexts of politics, and (3) the biographies of MPs from different regions. The project leader is Wiktor Marzec, PhD. You can read more about the project here.
This call is for an ambitious historian, sociologist or political scientist with proficiency in Polish, wanting to take up a research-only job on the social embeddedness of parliamentarism in the early years of the Second Republic of Poland.
In detail, the focus of your research should be on public reactions to elections to the Legislative Sejm of 1919 and the relationship of parliamentarians to the civil unrest of 1919-1921. The study will focus on the territories of the former Kingdom of Poland.
The first six months of employment should be used for intensive archival research (mainly in Polish provincial archives) and the next six months for its elaboration and preparation of possible publications.
For additional information about the project and the position, please contact the project leader at wh.marzec@uw.edu.pl
WORKPLACE
Robert Zajonc Institute for Social Studies is an interdisciplinary research oriented institution grouping historical sociologists, historians, economists and political scientists. More information about the institute at iss.uw.edu.pl
The University of Warsaw is the largest public research university in Poland, holding a leading position in national and international academic rankings. For more information about the UW: www.uw.edu.pl
The institute is located in Warsaw, a European capital with much to offer. More information at: warsawtour.pl
WHAT WE OFFER:
- post doc-position for 12 months in an international, interdisciplinary research team.
- a research-only position focused on archival work and publishing output
- office space, computer equipment, software needed for research and publications
- task-based working hours and the opportunity to work online (besides of archival tasks)
- opportunity to develop additional competencies related to publishing in the international academic circulation, project management and obtaining external funding
- opportunity to develop one’s own research sub-project related to the overall theme
- opportunity for interdisciplinary intellectual development (project workshops, working seminars, reading group).
- a wide academic network (in Poland and abroad), mobility within the project (conferences, workshops)
- funding for research trips and conference presentations within the project.
- financial support for publication activities within the project (proofreading, OA).
- possibility of obtaining additional university funds for professional activities (workshops, collaborations, proofreading and editing of academic texts, publication of a book, etc.)
- access to shared resources already gathered by the research team (searchable parliamentary transcripts, prosopography database, newspapers and leaflets, data on social protest before IWW)
– More information: link
YOUR TASKS:
- participating in the project research, in particular:
- collection of original source material on strikes, protests and riots and their relationship to the electoral process, as well as the subsequent participation of parliamentarians in similar events, in the period 1918-1921 in the Second Republic of Poland, primarily in the territories of the former Kingdom of Poland
- in addition to this novel archival research, the new team member may use for research the following resources: parliamentary debates and biographical information on members of the Legislative Sejm (material has been already collected by other team members), material on other cases studied by the team, as well as a database of collective actions in the Kingdom of Poland 1907-1915, prepared earlier as part of another project)
- processing of the collected archival material and preparation of publications (independently or in cooperation with other team members); it is also possible to conduct one’s own research related to the general topic of the project
- participation in the organizational work of the team, such as the organization of workshops or conferences
ELIGIBILITY:
- a Ph.D. degree in history, sociology, political sciences, regional studies, or related field meeting the additional conditions listed below. The should be obtained in the year of employment in the project or within 7 years before January 1 of the year of employment in the project (PhD not older than 2018). This period may be extended under certain conditions (illness, parenting responsibilities).
- at least passive knowledge of Polish allowing for independent work with archival materials from the interwar period (also handwritten).
- academic track record, documented by publications
- a workable command of English allowing for day-to-day team work and professional communication in speech and writing;
- experience in working with archival materials of similar kind (police reports, personal files, political institutions)
- basic international experience (scholarships, study visits, conferences etc).
- presence in Poland for the duration of archival research and mobility required to conduct this research.
- we expect the University of Warsaw to be the primary workplace for the successful candidate (no other regular employment)
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications should be sent before 1st of June, 2025 by e-mail to: iss@uw.edu.pl with a note: konkurs 1/2025
· CV including track record and a list of publications
· career development plan (describing your previous research, your ideas for study related with the project theme and other research plans)
· personal questionnaire (available at https://rekrutacja-i-rozwoj.bsp.uw.edu.pl/przydatne-dokumenty/)
· a copy of the PhD diploma (or a certificate of awarding the degree if the diploma is not ready)
· other – according to the candidate – important information and documents demonstrating the applicant’s interests and qualifications
· the following statement of the candidate: “I declare that I have read and accept the conditions that must be met by a person employed in a post-doc position in the NCN OPUS 23 project”.
Please ensure that your application is complete and submitted by the deadline indicated!
The results of the selection procedure should be know by the end of June 2025
Candidates will be informed of the results of the competition by e-mail.
The successful candidate is expected to start employment on October the 1st.
The full, official announcement is available here. Please scroll down for English content.