Two Postdoctoral Positions: Violence and the Colonial Project

The Institute of Research and Study on the Arab and Islamic Worlds (IREMAM) is hiring two postdoc to conduct research for the project: “Violence and the Colonial Project: Embodied Violence in a (Post)Colonial World.” PI: Danielle BEAUJON, Aix-Marseille Université, IREMAM.

Project Description
Violence was a ubiquitous feature of the colonial world. Colonial conquest brought with it war, economic upheaval, urban destruction, expropriation, and physical brutality, but also more subtle or symbolic forms of violence, like the suppression of languages, cultures, and names or the social ruptures of forced mobility and racial discrimination. This violence, as experienced by the colonized, was embodied, felt in the body and preserved as psychological scars. Everyday imperial violence cast a long shadow, connected to the inequalities that continue to shape our contemporary world. In “Violence and the Colonial Project,” specialists from a range of disciplines, including historians, sociologists, anthropologists and cultural studies scholars, will examine the question of embodied imperial violence and its postcolonial legacies.

These positions are for one year, with the possibility of renewal for a second year.

Post-Doc Position 1: Violence & the Colonial Project

Deadline: 20 Dec 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)
Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
Positions: Postdoc Positions
Country: France
Type of Contract: Temporary Job Status
Full-time / Offer Starting Date: 1 Mar 2027

E-mail : danielle.beaujon[at]univ-amu.fr

Principal Duties & Activities of the Postdoctoral Fellow

The postdoc will join the research team and contribute to the following projects:

Helping to run a study on colonial violence in 20th-century Algeria. This research project will draw on several sources, including archival funds in the Archives Nationales d’Outre-Mer and oral histories collected in Algeria and France. The interviews will focus on the theme of police violence in the colonial period, but also the symbolic and emotional violence connected to the separation of colonial migrant workers from their families.
Participating in the research program of “Violence and the Colonial Project” by proposing their own research project. This research project should be related to the theme of colonial violence in Algeria or the violence experienced by North Africans in France, during the colonial or post-colonial period. It is expected that the research project will result in scientific production (an event, publication, etc.) or public-facing presentations.
Meeting bi-weekly with the principal investigator and attending monthly research team meetings.

In addition, the person recruited will also be expected to contribute to the following tasks:

Participation in the seminars of IREMAM, especially any seminars or colloquia organized by "Violence and the Colonial Project."
Supporting the organization of events related to the themes of the project, including the organization of an international workshop on colonial violence.
Collaborating with principal investigators and other postdoctoral researchers.

Link to the full list of requirements: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/479367

Post-Doc Position 2: Violence & the Colonial Project

E-mail : danielle.beaujon[at]univ-amu.fr

Principal Duties of the Postdoctoral Fellow

The postdoc will join the research team and contribute to the following projects:

Taking the lead in organizing the final colloquium of the project.
Contributing to the organization of the project’s speaker series.
Coordinating the publicity for any events and managing the creation and upkeep of a dedicated website for the project.
Helping with the administration and archiving of the team's oral history project.
Participating in the research program of “Violence and the Colonial Project” by proposing their own research project. The research project should relate to the theme of colonial violence and be historical in nature, but the method, geography, and periodization are open. It is expected that the research project will result in scientific production (an event, publication, etc.) or public-facing presentations.
Meeting bi-weekly with the principal investigator and attending monthly research team meetings.

In addition, the person recruited will also be expected to contribute to the following tasks:

Participation in the seminars of IREMAM, especially any seminars or colloquia organized by "Violence and the Colonial Project".
- Collaborating with the principal investigator and other postdoctoral researchers.

Link to the full list of requirements: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/479377