The Seminar for Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Basel is offering up to four fully-funded one-year postdoctoral positions in the framework of the collective research group Futures Interrupted: social pluralism and political projects beyond coloniality and the nation-state. The postdoctoral positions offer an opportunity to researchers eager to engage with the general framework of the research group and ready to develop their own medium- to large-scale project for future funding in a supportive environment.

The project:
Futures Interrupted, a five-year project, that started in January 2024 and is led by Falestin Naïli (principal investigator), is funded through a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Consolidator grant. Futures Interrupted aims to renew our perspective on the period between the end of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of the age of nations in the Arab world by paying particular attention to local actors. The focus on unrealized social and political projects promoted by local actors allows us a look at the Arab world beyond the colonial framework and beyond the prevailing nation-state model. It also offers a view of alternative articulations of belonging and political community, using case-studies stretching from North Africa to South West Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
Details about the research project:
https://nahoststudien.philhist.unibas.ch/de/forschung/forschungsprojekte/futures-interrupted/')

Your position

These one-year positions are intended as an opportunity for postdocs to develop their own research project using the Futures Interrupted approach. They will be supported in their grant-writing by the PI, the Futures Interrupted team and the university’s grants office. It is possible to either develop an entirely new project or to broaden an existing project for medium to large-scale funding schemes such as SNSF and ERC calls. In addition to writing their own project proposal, the postdocs will prepare one or two publications for peer-reviewed journals or volumes based on their proposal.
Priority will be given to projects dealing with Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon and the Arabian Peninsula.

Your profile

Ph.D. in Middle Eastern or African studies, or related disciplines.
Solid knowledge of English and Arabic; other regional languages and German a plus, but not a requirement.
Basic acquaintance with funding schemes available to Switzerland- based researchers and readiness for grant-writing.
The selected candidate will actively participate in the discussions and events organized within the Futures Interrupted program in Basel and abroad.
Background and/or interests include (but are not limited to): political, social or intellectual history of the modern Arab world, colonial history, the late Ottoman Empire, transition between Empire and nation-states, non-elite agency, belonging, coexistence, citizenship, archives.

We offer you

• A joint research project of the University of Basel
• An international research environment
• Support in developing your research proposal
• A competitive salary according to the pay scale of the University of Basel
• Contract Duration: 1 year
• Working Time: 100% (full time, 1 year) or 50% (half time, 2 years)
• The employment conditions follow the guidelines of the University.

Application / Contact

Submissions must include: a letter of application (cover letter, 1 page) explaining your background and motivations for the project, a curriculum vitae including relevant publications, a project proposal with potential funding schemes (3 pages), scanned copies of relevant diplomas and certificates, and contact information (e-mail addresses and phone numbers) for two academic references for recommendations.
Please send your application documents via the e-recruitment tool of the University of Basel. The four positions need not be filled at the same time; please indicate your preferred start date.
Deadline for submission: April 30, 2025.
Short-listed candidates will be interviewed in June either in Basel or by visio-conference.
For further information or questions, please contact Prof. Dr. Falestin Naïli ( falestin.naili@ unibas.ch ).


www.unibas.ch')