Postdoctoral Researcher ERC VOICES (2-4 years)

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Your Field of Activity:

A historically oriented anthropology of song traditions will engage with pāṭṭu by combining text critical analyses of written sources with studying of actual performances in an integrative approach. Our modus operandi will follow the logic of combined “deep reading” sensitive to “sensorial epistemology”: sustained, intense, and probing engagement with texts, whether literary, musical, graphic, dramatic, or theoretical. This approach will be enriched by a focus on sensorial epistemologies, aesthetic dimensions of material culture, and oral, written, and embodied protocols of creation and reception.

VOICES proposes a new analytical tool made of a set of five mutually dependent research clusters (RC). These are organized around the idea of different modes (“bodies”) of meaning-making through singing which we identify as shared by majority of the song traditions addressed by the project. In keeping with the focus on the socio-cultural aspects of the singing body referred to above, and the project’s marked historical perspective, each of the clusters is guided by a set of research questions emerging from our pilot studies of the singing cultures of South India.

You will contribute to two main research clusters:

Cluster 1 studies how songs tie social bonds and historically imagine collective identities by reframing epic, mythic and individual imaginaries.

Source texts in original language like Payyannūrppāṭṭu, Rāmacaritam; Vaṭakkanpāṭṭu, Ceruśśeri’s Kṛṣṇagātha-pāṭṭu, Eḻuttacchan’s Adhyātmarāmāyaṇa and Mahābhāratamkiḷipāṭṭus.

Performances such as: Paṭayani; Brāhmaṇipāṭṭu

Cluster 2 explores how songs of war, resistance and subversion, mobilize and channel collective emotions and become medium for either support or discord and dissension.

Source Texts in original language like cāvēṟŭpāṭṭu, tampuranpāṭṭu; Eḻuttacchan’s Adhyātmarāmāyaṇa and Mahābhāratam, Kuñcan Nampyar’s Pātracaritam kilippāṭṭu; pātappāṭṭu; taccōlippāṭṭu.

Performances: cāvēṟŭpāṭṭu, tampuranpāṭṭu, mamāṅkam

Your Future Tasks:

• Engage in interdisciplinary research focused on song as lived-in practice and as a literary genre.
• Guide and be responsible for regular readings of original sources including historical and critical analysis
• Publish your findings in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes and present your work at international conferences.
• Collaborate with our digital humanities team to engage actively in the development of the “Mapping Sonic Ecumene: A Visual Archive of Sound”. This involves mapping and archiving sonic and visual representations of songs across South India, contributing to the design process, refining content, and regularly updating our online platforms with accessible, well-documented findings.
• Collaborate closely with the VOICES team, including contributing to the planning and development of events, workshops.
• Work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary and international team, contributing to joint research activities and supporting your colleagues in the achievement of the project’s goals.
• Assist in preparing reports for the VOICES project.

What We Offer:

You will be part of an ambitious and challenging interdisciplinary project, committed to cutting-edge research, ethical international collaboration, and creative formats of knowledge dissemination.

Where to apply

E-mail: erc.voices@uj.edu.pl

Requirements

Research Field: Cultural studies » Regional studies

Education Level: PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

• Completed PhD or equivalent in Asian Studies, Indology, Anthropology, Religious Studies, Ethnomusicology, or a closely related field.
• Expert competence in one or more South Indian languages, preferably Malayalam
• Strong expertise and relevant experience in academic research on at least one of these topics in Asian contexts: oral literature and folklore; traditional music and dance; ritual, performance, festivals; religion and possession; body and embodiment.
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English, with the ability to work collaboratively in a big, international team.
• Proven research and publication record in relevant areas.
• Experience and willingness to conduct deep reading and ethnographic fieldwork.
• Experience in independent scholarly writing to a high level of academic content and formal presentation.
• Familiarity with digital humanities methods, multimedia and audiovisual formats are not required, but certainly appreciated.

Languages: ENGLISH

Level: Excellent

Research Field: Cultural studies » Regional studies

Years of Research Experience: 4 - 10

Internal Application form(s) needed

• Declarations for the candidate.pdf — English (177.2 KB - PDF)
• Candidate information form_POL-ANG.pdf — English (117.6 KB - PDF)

Additional Information

Benefits

We offer excellent training, access to extensive academic resources, a highly collaborative international environment and resources for funding your fieldwork, equipment, conferences and professionalization courses.

Selection process

Please submit by the end of November 21st 2026, in a single PDF file:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Research project proposal (maximum 2,000 words, excluding notes and bibliography), including an outline of your potential contribution to the VOICES team and project outcomes.
• List of publications and multimedia outputs
• Copies of academic certificates
• Contact details of two referees (appreciated)

(see also the list of documents required - the attached files)

Additional comments

Planned duration of employment: 2 years with the possibility of extension to 4 years

Website for additional job details: https://praca.bip.uj.edu.pl/stanowiska-badawcze/-/journal_content/56_INSTANCE_oSRL4XNRrDtD/145868730/161754490

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Jagiellonian University
• Country: Poland
• State/Province: Małopolska
• City: Kraków
• Postal Code: 31-044
• Street: Grodzka 52

Contact

• State/Province: malopolska
• City: Kraków
• Website: https://voices.project.uj.edu.pl/
• Street: ul. Grodzka
• Postal Code: 31-044
• E-Mail: erc.voices@uj.edu.pl
• Fax: 52