Join Us!
We are looking for a part-time (fixed-term, 0,8fte) Post-doctoral researcherwith focus on Financial colonial history and an expertise in archives. Theposition is available for 18 months within the project COLFIN. COLFIN analyses the colonial durabilities in modern financial infrastructures. The aim of COLFIN is to understand and analyse how the experimental beginnings and development of financial instruments were shaped by and through colonial exploitation and appropriation. The longer time horizons, transnational payments and novel uncertainties of colonial expansion and exploitation are at the heart of modern financial innovation. The approach of COLFIN is to focus on financial infrastructures, understood as socio-technical and historically durable ways of organizing political-economic life.
This successful candidate will help develop COLFIN’s methodological approach, with a focus on colonial archives, archival methods and the ethics of research with colonial archives. Methodologically, COLFIN works with newly digitized archives of early modern public-private colonial companies, including for example the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the English East India Company (EIC). This postdoctoral project asks how archives are digitalized, how they are made accessible, what gaps and silences are at work and what ethical questions are at play. The successful candidate will contribute to developing COLFIN’s research protocol and practical and ethical approach to the colonial archives.
What are you going to do
The postdoctoral researcher compiles a technical and critical description of relevant archives for COLFIN. The successful candidate will be expected to have a high level of competence and motivation to undertake the following tasks:
- Describing relevant archives, with an attention to their historical formation and omissions;
- Conducting interviews with archivists to understand the archives’ formation, sources and silences;
- Contributing to developing a research protocol for the COLFIN researchers with archival directions and appropriate search terms;
- Contributing to developing the COLFIN ethics protocol;
- Present intermediate research results at international workshops and conferences;
- Contribute to the organisation of research activities and events of the project, such as the launch workshop;
- Working with and helping set up the COLFIN team;
- Preparing 2 (co-authored) journal article publications;
- Contribute to the research culture of the AISSR and the Transnational Configurations research group more broadly, for example by doing guest lectures and research presentations.
It may be possible to supplement the position with 0,2 teaching in the Political Science programme, depending on the candidate’s willingness and the department’s needs.
What do you have to offer
The successful candidate will have proven affinity with archival research, critical and ethical approaches to colonial archives and an interest in political-economic and/or cultural history.
Ideal candidates:
- Have a completed PhD degree in a field relevant to the theme of the research, for example: International Politics, International Political Economy, Cultural History, or European Studies;
- Have a track record of relevant publications;
- Are persons with initiative, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently as well as in a team;
- Have well-developed analytical skills as well as creativity and perseverance;
- Possess good academic writing, presentation and organisational skills;
- Can demonstrate a strong interest in the topic of this research project;
- Have experience with archival research;
- Are able to communicate effectively in English both orally and in writing;
- Knowledge of multiple European languages beyond English is an asset (in particular, Dutch or Spanish);
What else do we offer you
The Postdoctoral researcher will be appointed at the department of Political Science of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and will conduct the research in the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) . We are offering a fixed-term, part-time contract of 30.4 hours per week (0.8 FTE) for a maximum period of 18 months, with a probationary period of 2 months.
The salary will range from € 4,728 to €6,433 gross per month on a full-time basis (38 hours per week), in accordance with salary scale 11, depending on relevant experience. This excludes an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities applies.
In case of equal suitability, the internal candidate is preferred over the external candidate.
The start date is 1 January 2027.
You will work here
The successful candidate will be part of the COLFIN team, which is led by Prof Marieke de Goede. The team will eventually consist of 3 postdoc researchers and 2 PhD candidates. The team will be embedded within the research group Transnational Configurations, Conflict and Governance of the AISSR. TransCon is an inspiring, supportive and professional academic environment, spanning research across public policy, International Relations, conflict and governance. There will also be interfaculty collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and the UvA HumanitiesLabs.
Are you looking for a challenging job in a dynamic setting? We are looking for a Postdoctoral researcher for the research project “COLFIN: Colonial Financial Infrastructures,” directed by prof. Marieke de Goede. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) through an Advanced Grant. For more information, see https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101199713.
Join Us!
We are looking for a part-time (fixed-term, 0,8fte) Post-doctoral researcherwith focus on Financial colonial history and an expertise in archives. Theposition is available for 18 months within the project COLFIN. COLFIN analyses the colonial durabilities in modern financial infrastructures. The aim of COLFIN is to understand and analyse how the experimental beginnings and development of financial instruments were shaped by and through colonial exploitation and appropriation. The longer time horizons, transnational payments and novel uncertainties of colonial expansion and exploitation are at the heart of modern financial innovation. The approach of COLFIN is to focus on financial infrastructures, understood as socio-technical and historically durable ways of organizing political-economic life.
This successful candidate will help develop COLFIN’s methodological approach, with a focus on colonial archives, archival methods and the ethics of research with colonial archives. Methodologically, COLFIN works with newly digitized archives of early modern public-private colonial companies, including for example the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the English East India Company (EIC). This postdoctoral project asks how archives are digitalized, how they are made accessible, what gaps and silences are at work and what ethical questions are at play. The successful candidate will contribute to developing COLFIN’s research protocol and practical and ethical approach to the colonial archives.
What are you going to do
The postdoctoral researcher compiles a technical and critical description of relevant archives for COLFIN. The successful candidate will be expected to have a high level of competence and motivation to undertake the following tasks:
- Describing relevant archives, with an attention to their historical formation and omissions;
- Conducting interviews with archivists to understand the archives’ formation, sources and silences;
- Contributing to developing a research protocol for the COLFIN researchers with archival directions and appropriate search terms;
- Contributing to developing the COLFIN ethics protocol;
- Present intermediate research results at international workshops and conferences;
- Contribute to the organisation of research activities and events of the project, such as the launch workshop;
- Working with and helping set up the COLFIN team;
- Preparing 2 (co-authored) journal article publications;
- Contribute to the research culture of the AISSR and the Transnational Configurations research group more broadly, for example by doing guest lectures and research presentations.
It may be possible to supplement the position with 0,2 teaching in the Political Science programme, depending on the candidate’s willingness and the department’s needs.
What do you have to offer
The successful candidate will have proven affinity with archival research, critical and ethical approaches to colonial archives and an interest in political-economic and/or cultural history.
Ideal candidates:
- Have a completed PhD degree in a field relevant to the theme of the research, for example: International Politics, International Political Economy, Cultural History, or European Studies;
- Have a track record of relevant publications;
- Are persons with initiative, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently as well as in a team;
- Have well-developed analytical skills as well as creativity and perseverance;
- Possess good academic writing, presentation and organisational skills;
- Can demonstrate a strong interest in the topic of this research project;
- Have experience with archival research;
- Are able to communicate effectively in English both orally and in writing;
- Knowledge of multiple European languages beyond English is an asset (in particular, Dutch or Spanish);
What else do we offer you
The Postdoctoral researcher will be appointed at the department of Political Science of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and will conduct the research in the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) . We are offering a fixed-term, part-time contract of 30.4 hours per week (0.8 FTE) for a maximum period of 18 months, with a probationary period of 2 months.
The salary will range from € 4,728 to €6,433 gross per month on a full-time basis (38 hours per week), in accordance with salary scale 11, depending on relevant experience. This excludes an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities applies.
In case of equal suitability, the internal candidate is preferred over the external candidate.
The start date is 1 January 2027.
You will work here
The successful candidate will be part of the COLFIN team, which is led by Prof Marieke de Goede. The team will eventually consist of 3 postdoc researchers and 2 PhD candidates. The team will be embedded within the research group Transnational Configurations, Conflict and Governance of the AISSR. TransCon is an inspiring, supportive and professional academic environment, spanning research across public policy, International Relations, conflict and governance. There will also be interfaculty collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and the UvA HumanitiesLabs.
If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your motivation letter and CV. Candidates are requested to include a brief provisional research plan of around 1,000 words, which outlines how you might approach the research topics and what kind of focus you would bring to the COLFIN project. Please also include a relevant publication.
You can apply via the red button until July 19, 2026. Interviews will take place in the second half of August.
For questions about the vacancy, you can contact: prof. dr. Marieke de Goede: m.degoede@uva.nl.
