The position is for 2 years, full time at the University of Amsterdam. Research will be in Israel/Palestine. See below for more details.

Applications through this link: https://vacatures.uva.nl/UvA/job/Postdoctoral-Researcher-Political-Trees/773871902/

Postdoctoral Researcher Political Trees

Faculteit der Maatschappij- & Gedragswetenschappen

Dead line: 10 September 2023

Are you interested in the study of nationalism and inequality and the role of the natural environment in narratives and practices around nationalist politics? Would you like to work on roles of trees in Israel/Palestine through an anthropological approach?

The Department of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam is looking for a postdoctoral researcher who will work within the research project Political Trees: Arboreal Nationalism in Israel-Palestine initiated and led by Dr Erella Grassiani.

This study looks at trees as political tools in the world today. Trees are “the lungs of the world” and need urgent protection in view of widespread overexploitation for food, building material and many other human needs. Their cultural and spiritual meanings are manifold, and the use and protection of trees is never a simple process. This project analyses how humans turn trees into political tools and harness ecological concerns to political goals. One form of tree-based politics is planting or uprooting trees to facilitate—practically and symbolically—the occupation and settling of land. Another is resistance to deforestation, which affects indigenous people. I call such practices arboreal nationalism.

Understanding arboreal nationalism requires asking:

How do states, civil society organizations and marginalized groups mobilize the symbolic, material, and environmental significance of trees?
How is nationalism “greenwashed”?
Which colonial legacies are evident in current national projects involving trees?
And how might we understand the agency of trees in these processes?

This project will contribute to a new understanding of the role of trees in nationalist endeavours. It will uncover the entanglement of nationalist politics and the natural environment. The project will compare the political drivers and consequences of arboreal nationalism from the perspective of local actors in Israel-Palestine. Studying this case closely will allow us to further theorize arboreal nationalism and establish urgently needed new links between the anthropology of the state, environmental studies and histories of nationalism.

What are you going to do

The postdoctoral researcher we are looking for will work on the sub-project ‘Political Trees in Palestine’ and will complement work already done by the principal researcher. Within this project the prospective researcher will study the multiple ways in which trees ‘matter’ to Palestinians living in the West-Bank or within the Green Line, whether this is in terms of modes of belonging, manners of protection, or resistance. The researcher will explore the way trees are at the heart of political acts, such as resistance of the military occupation and/or other forms of land grabbing.

What do you have to offer

You have:

a PhD degree in anthropology or related discipline (human geography, sociology, etc.). The degree must have been obtained before the employment starting date;
a record (appropriate to career stage) of publications that demonstrates the ability to conduct research which is internationally recognized as contributing to the field;
expertise/interest in doing ethnographic work in Palestine;
advanced knowledge of Israel/Palestine in an historical, critical context;
good organizational and communication skills;
proficiency in spoken Arabic;
proficiency in spoken and written English.

You are:

creative and innovative in your work;
intellectually curious and eager to learn;
able and willing to work both independently and collaboratively.

What can we offer you

We offer a temporary full-time contract for 38 hours per week (1,0 fte). The starting date will be no later than 1 January 2024. The initial term of employment is for the duration of one year. Upon positive evaluation and satisfactory performance, you will be offered an extension for a maximum of 12 months (a total employment period of two years).

The gross monthly salary based on full-time employment (38 hours per week) ranges from €3974 to €5439 gross per month. This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus. The starting salary will be based on qualifications, expertise and relevant experience. The profile ‘researcher 3’ is applicable in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

The postdoctoral researcher will be embedded in the programme group ‘Moving Matters’ at the department of anthropology. We offer an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.