Post-Doctoral Research Fellow - Building Inclusive Societies for Young People

The University Program for Gender Studies and Research at the University of Prishtina “ Hasan Prishtina” (UP), in conjunction with the Seldom Heard Voices and the Conflict Transformation Studies research teams at Bournemouth University and the University of Leeds, invite applications for a one-year postdoctoral research fellowship attached to the international, multi-country research programmeChanging the Story:Building Inclusive Societies for Young People. This multidisciplinary, internationally collaborative programme spans five countries (Colombia, Cambodia, Kosovo,Rwanda, and South Africa) and is supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in the UK. The programme investigates the efficacy of civil society organisations (CSOs, including museums, heritage organizations, community participatory arts and activist groups) in promoting social justice, equality and human rights for, with, and through young people within the context of development challenges in post-conflict societies. The Kosovo strand of the project will conduct a comparative analysis between thecontent, forms and practices of municipal versus independent, arts-based forms of civic educationand explore their respective potentials with a specific focus on the issues facing CSOs targeting youth in marginalised areas outside the capital, Prishtina. In collaboration with our CSO partners (Stacion – Centre for Contemporary Arts, Prishtina [lead facilitator]; Varg e Vi - Center for Contemporary Art, Gjilan; Anibar, Peja; 7Arte, Mitrovica; NGO Aktiv, Mitrovica North as well as the Association for Regional Development Agencies, ARDA), the research focus will be on selectedmunicipalities in Kosovo. The Kosovo case study will contribute to the emerging field of Arts and Humanities Research for Development.

Expectations:

The postdoc will carry out a detailed critical review (scoping study and report) of current civic educational practicesand arts-based, educational intervention programmes in Kosovo’s municipalities,comparing the ways in which independent, arts-focused CSOs and state-sponsored, institutional youth centres reach out to non-cosmopolitan youth and negotiate contextual challenges. Core questions include, how do state vs. international funding streams and, at times, conflicting political demands influence the methods and outcomes of civic education? How do state and independent educational sites conceptualise and negotiate civic education, e.g. in relation to the post-war, national ‘master narratives’? Who uses the services provided? Who does not? How and why are CSOs and youth centres succeeding or failing in promoting social justice, civic integration and education for local youth? These, and other questions, will require reflection upon the ways historical contingencies have shaped underpining practices, concepts, and politics of such work. The review will also account for the intersection of socio-cultural, and other, identifications, experiences and relations (based on gender, ethnicity, class, race) within the relevant educational or social justice programs.

The postdoc will simultaneously support a ‘proof of concept’ pilot project, emerging from the findings of this critical review. This pilot project will assist the wider Kosovo team to develop an inclusive participatory art programme addressing both the state-sponsored and independent CSO sector in Kosovo.Finally, the postdoc will also work with the rest of the Kosovo team to organise a dissemination event to raise awareness of this work, and of the wider goals of the ‘Changing the Story’ project. A key requirement of this and related events will be to generate interest in a call for further projects to be commissioned as the programme of research progresses in Colombia, Cambodia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and South Africa.

The postdoc will manage his/her own research independently, under the supervision of Dr Nita Luci,and alsocontribute to joint activitiesboth in Kosovo and across all the strands of the project (i.e. with the project’s otherpostdocs in Colombia, Cambodia, Rwanda and South Africa) and to the intellectual life of UP. He/she will be involved in the planning of the research, the organisation of events, carrying out data collection, observations and analyses, and the writing and editing of research reports and publications, emerging from the research project. The postdoc will be required to organise and contribute to the presentations of seminars, conferences and workshops supported by the project.

Your profile: Applicants should ideally be in possession of a Ph.D. in a relevant field, however applicants in possession of an MA (or PhD candidates) will also be considered. They should have the ability to work collaboratively as part of an international team across different kinds of organisations, including CSOs, with strong interpersonal skills. Excellent research, writing and communication skills in English (language of the project) and Kosovo’s official languages are required. Experience in experience of qualitative fieldwork, particularly participatory action research, and an understanding of quantitative methods, would be a strong advantage. Ideally, they would have also worked with marginalised groups, however defined, in the region.Because the research will be taking place at various locations nationally, the candidate should be prepared to travel.

Our offer: The research fellowship is a full-time position, or alternatively two 0.5 positions, offered from 1June 2018 to 30 May2019with a salary of 10,000 euro per annum for full time position or 5,000 euro per annum per part-time position. The workplace is UP, Prishtina, Kosovo.

Application: Please submit your application electronically by 11 May 2018 to e-Mail: [email protected]  with the following documentation:

1. cover letter
2. CV including a list of publications
3. two writing samples (e.g. a published work, a chapter from a PhD, or MA thesis)

Informal inquiries may be directed to Dr Nita Luci, [email protected] and/or Dr Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers, [email protected].Further information on the research programme is available on https://changingthestory.leeds.ac.uk.