Postdoctoral Position

The Chair for the History of Technology and Environmental History at the Faculty of History is looking for a

**Postdoctoral position (f,m,x), full time, untill 30.09.2026 (Project end), for the ERC-funded project “The Making of Monoculture: A Global History”, TVL E13**:
The history of technology and environmental history are currently among the most dynamic fields in the discipline of history. Both fields figure prominently in the ongoing globalization of historical research, and it is not difficult to see why. Modern technology has left its mark around the world, and environmental challenges have a baseline of similarities that provide a backbone for comparative and synthetic research. Ruhr-University Bochum is unique among German universities in that it had a position for the history of technology from its inception.

The ERC-funded project “The Making of Monoculture: A Global History” (MaMoGH) explores monocultures in agriculture and forestry as phenomena of global modernity. It invites scholars to study individual monocultures anywhere in the world with a common set of questions that explore the rise and resilience of specialised organic production regimes. While the toll of monoculture for environments, societies and economies is well documented, the project focuses on the mindsets of producers and experts, modes of crisis management, and the material and immaterial resources that allow monocultures to endure in spite of their inherent fragility.

**extent**:

- full-time**duration**:

- temporary**beginning**:

- 01.06.202418.04.2024**Your tasks**:

- Research fellows are expected to study a specific monoculture in specific regions. They take full responsibility for their research strategy, the project design and outputs under the guidance and supervision of the PI. It is expected that they will produce a monograph or equivalent publications.

Applicants can either propose a topic of their own choice or select one of the following four topics:

- Vegetable or fruit production in Central Europe (Germany, Netherlands, etc.)
- Forestry in East Asia
- Tobacco production in Zimbabwe
- Sugarcane on Pacific or Caribbean islands

**Your profile**:

- An Ph.D. in history or related fields in the humanities and social sciences is required.

**Our offerings**:

- Challenging and varied tasks with a high degree of personal responsibility
- Team-orientated cooperation in a committed, international and appreciative team
- Employment at one of the largest universities in Germany within the University Alliance Ruhr

**Additional information**:
If the position is funded by third-party funds the employee has no teaching obligation.

German language courses are offered by the University Language Center (ZfA) in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF).

Frank Uekötter, Phone: +49 15510400751

Travel expenses for interviews cannot be refunded.