Ruth J. Simmons Postdoctoral Research Associate in Slavery & Justice

The Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice and the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University invites applications for a one-year position (2023-2024) as the Historical Injustice and Democracy Postdoctoral Research Associate.

The making of the modern world was in part constituted by the historical injustices of colonialism and racial slavery. These injustices have played out in contemporary phenomena such as apartheid, displacement, discrimination, and other forms of domination in which substantial portions of the human population have been deprived of rights, economic opportunity, social mobility, or even their very lives. All these forms of historical and contemporary wrongs have generated a plethora of scholarship around different forms of justice: reparative, redistributive, transitional and, of course, reparations. However, how do forms of historical and contemporary injustices shape practices of democracy? Are contemporary forms of democracy adequate responses to historical and contemporary forms of injustice? This joint collaborative project between the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs and the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice seeks a one-year post-doctoral fellow who will anchor the project. The candidate should be trained in any social science field and have an interest in questions of human rights as well as theories of democracy. They should also be interested in the ways in which historical injustices have worked in different countries.  Applicants should have wide knowledge about the different practices which challenge historical and contemporary wrongs. The candidate should be ready to work in collaboration with the Watson Institute and the CSSJ to create a public program around these issues.

The Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice is a scholarly research center with a public humanities mission. Recognizing that racial and chattel slavery were central to the historical formation of the Americas and the modern world, the CSSJ creates a space for the interdisciplinary study of the historical forms of slavery while also examining how these legacies shape our contemporary world.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University seeks to promote a just and peaceful world through research, teaching, and public engagement. The Watson Institute is a community of scholars, practitioners, and students whose work aims to help us understand and address these critical challenges. It is dedicated to meaningful social science research and teaching, and animated by the conviction that informed policy can change systems and societies for the better.
Brown University seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, viewpoints, and ways of knowing and learning.

Search opens February 1, 2023. Applications received by March 31, 2023 will receive full consideration. The position salary is $75,000 and includes benefits and a modest research account.

Qualifications

Applicants should have a Ph.D. in any social science discipline and have received their degree within the last five years (or will obtain a Ph.D. by June 2023). The candidate should have an interest in questions of human rights as well as theories of democracy. They should also be interested in the ways in which historical injustices have worked in different countries, and they should have wide knowledge about the different practices which challenge historical and contemporary wrongs.

Application Instructions

Applicants should apply online via Interfolio: https://apply.interfolio.com/119223

Please include a cover letter, current CV, a writing sample, and three letters of reference.