"Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Researcher in Legal History and/or Social and Behavioural Studies"

Tilburg University is hiring a postdoctoral researcher (1.0 FTE) in law, history, the social and behavioural sciences for the project ECHO: Emotions and Terrorism in the Eastern Question (1870–1930). The project investigates how fear shaped international law, challenging its rationalist, Eurocentric, and state-centric biases. You will analyse diplomatic, legal, and literary sources to investigate how legal labels, public emotions, and shifting notions of sovereignty influenced protection, trust, and international security. The work invites engagement with wider questions on law, emotion, and justice in moments of political upheaval, and you will join a multidisciplinary team working across multiple historical contexts.

As postdoctoral researcher, you will focus on methodological approaches to the study of law and emotions, drawing on archival sources, textual analysis, and relevant literature. Your work will involve mapping and critically assessing methodological approaches in the study of law and emotions, and applying them to the project’s historical material, while possibly engaging with perspectives from psychology and the social and behavioural sciences. You will prepare academic publications and play a key role in shaping and delivering an international scholarly event that brings together leading researchers in the field. There will be room to bring your own thematic and methodological interests into the project’s scope.

You will join the legal history group within the Department of Public Law & Governance (PLG), integrating into a vibrant, international, and interdisciplinary research environment. The position is primarily research-focused, with participation in administrative tasks, including dissemination activities through academic and public channels. Depending on your interests, there may be opportunities to contribute to teaching in the field of legal history and related areas. The role offers a supportive environment for further developing your professional network and academic profile in emotion research, legal history, and critical approaches to law.

Required Qualifications: You hold a Ph.D. in law, history, psychology, or a closely related discipline, with a dissertation that engages with the study of emotions and/or relevant historical, legal, or socio-legal contexts. You have demonstrable experience in independently conducting archival research with handwritten sources from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, or equivalent expertise in working with complex datasets. Experience in interdisciplinary research involving the study of emotions is highly desirable. You have a strong interest in the institutional, political, economic, and legal history of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, preferably with a focus on international law, genocide studies and/or transitional justice processes. You possess excellent oral and written communication skills, as evidenced by relevant academic publications, conference presentations, or other scholarly output. You have excellent proficiency in English both spoken and written. Ability to work with one or more languages spoken in the late Ottoman Empire is preferred; knowledge of Dutch is appreciated.

Desirable competencies: You demonstrate scientific integrity and work independently while taking responsibility for your contributions and career development. You have strong analytical skills and an eye for methodological reflection. You are a team player who actively contributes to a collegial, open, and inclusive work environment, sharing knowledge and engaging in constructive collaboration also beyond your immediate field. You are adaptable, well-organised, and able to balance research, organisational, and dissemination tasks effectively.

Conditions of employment: A position based on 0.8 - 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week). A salary of minimum of €4,728 and maximum €6,433 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Researcher 3 and salary scale 11. This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 5 under b of the CLA DU. You will be given a temporary contract for the duration of 17 months. Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. Over 8 weeks of vacation leave. The opportunity to work partly on campus and partly from home with a home office allowance of €2 per day. Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transportation. A monthly internet fee of €25. An Options Model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center. Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% tax facility. A pension with ABP; the most sustainable Dutch pension fund. Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research or a language course at our Language Center. A work culture in which we embrace differences, where everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities. A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport.