ABOUT THE ROLE

This two-year post will support the international project ‘Global Governance, Trust and Democratic Engagement in Past and Present’ (GLO), which is run within the framework of the Trans-Atlantic Platform for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Drawing on insights from History, IR, Political Science and Sociology, GLO pursues two major lines of enquiry. First, it examines campaigns that sought to create, reform, transform or abolish international organisations. In doing so, it highlights the democratic potentials and lacunae of international organisations while tracing broader efforts to democratise international relations. Second, the project investigates attempts by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social movements to enlist the support of international bodies, partly in response to the obstacles they encountered domestically.

As a Research Fellow, you will focus on the ‘Targeting’ work package of this project, undertaking research on instances in which activists addressed international organisations and deployed arguments about ‘democracy’. You will identify and develop case studies that align with your research interests and expertise. In doing so, you will contribute to a co-authored monograph and produce at least one separate journal article. You will participate in academic conferences held in Canada, Switzerland and the United States and support the preparation and running of a knowledge-exchange workshop in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The role is fixed term for 24 months.

Further information is available in the job description.

ABOUT THE TEAM

You will join the UK part of the wider, international GLO team, which is based at Northumbria University’s Department of Humanities, an 80-person-strong community of scholars. The department’s ‘Histories of Activism’ and ‘Global and Transnational History' research groups will provide a supportive environment for your research.

GLO has multiple components. Apart from a UK-based team that is being coordinated by Laqua (who is also Principal Investigator for the overall project), it includes teams that are based in Switzerland, Canada and the United States and that, respectively, are led by Carolyn Biltoft (Geneva), Daniel Gorman (Waterloo) and Susan Stokes (Chicago). Further team members include Richard Huzzey (Durham), Henry Miller (Northumbria), Amalia Ribi Forclaz (Geneva), Anne-Isabelle Richard (Leiden) and three Research Fellows associated with the project.

ABOUT YOU

You should hold a PhD in History or another relevant discipline. Your research background should equip you to handle the transnational and historical dimensions of this project. You should demonstrate the capacity to address questions of global inequality and marginalisation within the project context. The ability to incorporate perspectives from beyond the West and/or Global North will be an asset, as will be experience in handling sources in different languages.

Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Daniel Laqua (daniel.laqua@northumbria.ac.uk).

To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'.  Your application should include a covering letter and a CV.

ABOUT US

Northumbria University is a research-intensive university that unlocks potential for all.  We change lives regionally, nationally, and internationally through education and research, tackling the global challenges of our age to transform society and the economy. Find out why we were named Times Higher Education’s University of the Year in 2022.

Northumbria recorded the biggest rise of any UK university for research power in the Research Excellence Framework for the second time in 2021 and is now ranked top 25 in the UK for this measure. REF2021 ranked Northumbria University's History outputs within the UK's top 10 and the majority of our research environment in HIstory was deemed ‘world leading’.

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Our Behaviours describe how we do things and how we work together at Northumbria, reflecting our culture and our decision-making. Our Behaviours are: We listen and learn, we support one another to success, we respect everyone and their contributions, we trust in ourselves and each other and we are bold. 

Our Values and Behaviours were co-created by colleagues from a range of roles across the University, who worked collaboratively to consider what it feels like to work for Northumbria, and where we need to continue to transform together to achieve what’s important to us.  Please visit Our Values and Behaviours page to find out more. 

Northumbria University is committed to creating an inclusive culture where we take pride in, and value, the diversity of our staff.  We encourage and welcome applications from all members of the community.  The University holds a bronze Athena Swan award in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality, we are a Disability Confident Leader, a member of the Race Equality Charter and are participating in the Stonewall Diversity Champion Programme.  We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers.  The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.    

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