This Ph.D. position is funded by a MIS (Mandat d’Impulsion Scientifique/ Incentive Grant for Scientific Research) project: “Bearing Witness to Traumatic Experiences: Cultural Productions of Uyghurs in Exile”. Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking people based at the border of Central Asia and the north-western part of China. Massive internments and arrests of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have taken place in the region since 2016, including the Uyghur elite. In these conditions, centers of the cultural production of the Uyghurs have shifted from their native land to the diaspora spread across the world. This project looks at Uyghur diasporic cultural production that aims at drawing the world’s attention and bearing witness to the various abuses perpetrated at home by the Chinese government. The whole project analyses selected poems, short films, video clips, and dance and music performances to tackle new transmedial forms of testimonies in the Uyghur case.

Environment

EASt, centre for East Asian Studies, is a research unit within the Maison des sciences humaines of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. The key role of EASt is to be a central hub of the ULB to foster Asia related activities and research across the university. EASt offers high-quality research on current developments in the East Asian region, and established research projects and networks focusing on Asian studies.

This Ph.D. position is funded by a MIS (Mandat d’Impulsion Scientifique/ Incentive Grant for Scientific Research) project: “Bearing Witness to Traumatic Experiences: Cultural Productions of Uyghurs in Exile”. Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking people based at the border of Central Asia and the north-western part of China. Massive internments and arrests of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have taken place in the region since 2016, including the Uyghur elite. In these conditions, centers of the cultural production of the Uyghurs have shifted from their native land to the diaspora spread across the world. This project looks at Uyghur diasporic cultural production that aims at drawing the world’s attention and bearing witness to the various abuses perpetrated at home by the Chinese government. The whole project analyses selected poems, short films, video clips, and dance and music performances to tackle new transmedial forms of testimonies in the Uyghur case.

Objectives

Cultural Expressions of Trauma and Nostalgia in the Uyghur Diaspora

The doctoral research will explore cultural expressions of trauma and nostalgia within the Uyghur diaspora by analyzing audiovisual productions and artworks produced to testify about the on-going violent state repression in the Uyghur region. In the first stage of the project, the candidate will focus on:

1. producing an in-depth literature review on Uyghurcultural production in general, the Uyghur diaspora, and issues of trauma, exile, and nostalgia;
2. writing proposals for further Belgian funding (FNRS, FRESH, mini-ARC, etc.).

The second stage will involve fieldwork in Europe, North America, and Turkey to collect data, interview cultural producers, and conduct on-site participant observation. The selected candidate will work in collaboration with his or her Ph.D. supervisor and a postdoctoral researcher. Besides his or her Ph.D. dissertation, the candidate is expected to (co)produce scientific articles, share research findings in international conferences, and actively participate in EASt activities.

The candidate is also expected to be available on the ULB campus at least 4 days a week when he or she is not doing fieldwork.

Post description

Hiring Institution:

Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

Duration

24 months (July 2021- July 2023). Besides this two-year internal funding, the research fellow will be invited to apply for an FNRS Ph.D.-grant in January/February 2022, to extend the duration of the research to 60 months. The selected candidate is expected to start his or her Ph.D. on 1 July 2021 at the latest.

Income

€34,500 Gross per year. The research fellow will enjoy a monthly gross income of about €2,900 which corresponds to an average net income of about €1,900. Please note that a Fellow’s individual net income after social Security Contributions can vary in light of their nationality, family status, and antecedents.

Requirements

Degree

Top-level graduate degree (Master or equivalent) in Anthropology, Sociology, Media Studies, or Asian Studies. Candidates should have obtained their MA with top grades no sooner than February 2020 and no later than March 2021.

Languages

• Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.
• Knowledge, or willingness to learn French, is a plus.
• The research fellow is expected to learn basic Uyghur during the first years of fieldwork.

How to apply?

Candidates must send their applications as a single PDF file to the Ph.D. supervisor’s professional email address (vanessa.frangville@ulb.ac.be)

no later than the 1st of March 2021 (17:00 CET).

Applications must include:

• A letter of introduction (statement of motivation and personal interpretation of the research project);
• A full academic CV, including the name and contact details of two academic referees (we may contact your referees during the application process);
• An academic record with marks obtained for the different grades (BA and MA).

Supervisor

Vanessa FRANGVILLE, vanessa.frangville@ulb.ac.be

Faculty of Letters, Translation, and Communication: https://ltc.ulb.be

EASt: https://www.facebook.com/EAStULB/  & http://msh.ulb.ac.be/equipes/east/

Any questions pertaining to this post and the related application process are to be directed via email to the supervisor.

Key dates

• By 1 March 2021: Candidates must send their applications to the relevant supervisor.

• 10 March 2021: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a Skype interview with a selection committee composed of the supervisor and two other members of EASt.
• 15 March 2021: Shortlisted candidates will be informed about the final decision.
• Before 1 July 2021: Selected candidates to arrive at the Université libre de Bruxelles to start his/her training and research.