PhD Mediatizing the Homeland: Diasporic Imaginaries of Palestine

Job description

Fully funded four-year PhD position for the project Mediatizing the Homeland, positioned at the intersection of digital media, decolonial and diaspora studies. As a candidate, you will part of the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen, engaging with a thriving community of scholars at the forefront of critical media research. This PhD project offers a unique opportunity to work in an international environment and to acquire valuable research experience at a top-ranked European university. As a PhD student, you will develop your own research project in consultation with the associated supervisors. You will conduct independent and original academic research and report results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD dissertation. The PhD thesis has to be completed within four years. You will also have the opportunity to (further) develop your teaching skills.

You will work with the following supervisory team:

Prof. Dr. Marianne Franklin (promoter)

Dr. Claudia Minchilli (co-promoter)

Dr. Lars de Wildt (co-promoter)

The PhD Project

This PhD project explores how diasporic identity and belonging are shaped through mediated imaginaries of the homeland. Focusing on the Palestinian diaspora as a case study, it examines how the homeland is discursively and visually constructed across various media forms, particularly as a space that remains largely inaccessible due to geopolitical constraints. More specifically, it investigates how Palestinian diasporic media production, content, and consumption contribute to identity formation and a sense of belonging in response to contemporary regional developments.

The project is guided by the central research question:

“How do Palestinian participatory media producers, content, and consumers construct diasporic identities and imaginaries of the homeland?”

Instead of focusing on traditional media such as literature and cinema, this study looks at participatory media, such as social media, music and videogames. The aim is to inquire into how these media provide diasporic voices with new modes of expression, engagement, and identity negotiation, facilitated by their accessibility, platformization, and the blurring of production and consumption.

Methodologically, the research adopts an inductive, mixed-method approach which may integrate digital ethnography, (non-)participant observation, semi-structured in-depth interviews with media producers and consumers, critical discourse analysis and/or critical visual analysis. The specific methodological design will be further refined in the first six months of the project in collaboration with the PhD candidate, who will receive tailored supervision and methodological training.

The supervisory team intentionally leaves the choice of media, platforms and sub-questions open, to allow the successful candidate to shape the project according to their expertise and research interests. As such, a brief research proposal is required as part of the application for this position (see section "Application" below).

During the four-year PhD position, the PhD candidate will be asked to:

• Complete the PhD in the specified timeframe (4 years).
• Develop their own research project in consultation with the associated supervisors.
• Conduct independent and original academic research.
• Disseminate results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD dissertation.
• Conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching, spread over the second, third and fourth year of your appointment.

Organisation

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 27,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

Qualifications

To be competitive for the position, prospective candidates must have:

• A (Research) Master’s degree or MPhil (e.g. cultural studies, media studies, migration/diaspora studies, Middle-Eastern studies and/or Arabic language and culture), with high academic merit—an average grade of 8.0 or above on the Dutch scale (or international equivalent).
• Excellent academic writing skills and spoken command of English.
• An excellent command of written Arabic and spoken Palestinian Arabic or a similar dialect of spoken Levantine Arabic (e.g., Jordanian or Lebanese). Applicants should provide evidence of their proficiency (e.g., formal language certification, academic coursework, or native/near-native competence).
• Excellent analytical skills and capacity to do innovative research. Clear and well-articulated motivation for pursuing PhD research.
• Experience in using qualitative research methods, such as interviewing and (digital) ethnography.

The following will be assets:

• Experience with and/or knowledge in the proposed project area (ideally at Master’s level).
• If not already present, willingness to develop the areas of expertise that the project requires. This can relate to specific theoretical knowledge or methodological skills.
• Great interpersonal skills.

Knowledge of Dutch is NOT required for this position.

Organisation

Conditions of employment

In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, the University of Groningen offers you:

• A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,707 gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
• A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income
• An 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance
• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After six months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
• The PhD candidate is expected to conduct a total of 0.4 FTE teaching spread over the second, third and fourth year of their appointment.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• Willingness to move and reside in the Netherlands.

The appointment will commence on 1 September 2025. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.