Description



The Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS) at the University of Chicago invites applications for a two-year COSAS Postdoctoral Researcher in Critical Caste Studies (appointed at the rank of term-limited Instructor, non-renewable), to begin as early as July 1, 2025. This position is designed for early-career scholars whose educational backgrounds have afforded them limited opportunities with highly selective research institutions in the United States and Europe.


The successful candidate will be expected to conduct research in their areas of interest; teach one course a year on topics of their choosing at either the undergraduate or graduate level; and participate in the intellectual life of the wider University. In addition to salary and benefits, funds will be made available to the Postdoctoral Researcher for pursuing their own research, for conference travel, and for planning conferences or other postdoc-related events/programming.



Qualifications



We seek a scholar working within the emergent paradigm of critical studies of caste, inequality, and exclusion; we are particularly interested in scholars working on projects focused on issues in Dalit studies, Adivasi studies, and intersectional approaches between caste and race, class, gender/sexuality, and (minoritarian) religion. Applications are invited from scholars in any field relevant to critical caste studies, including social sciences, humanities, natural or biological sciences, Divinity, Law, Policy or Social Work. The successful applicant will be appointed in the unit of the University of Chicago best answering to their disciplinary background; this may be any of the divisions or professional schools of the University of Chicago.



Application Instructions



Applicants are required to apply online at the University of Chicago's Interfolio site: apply.interfolio.com/157701


Applicants must have received their PhD within 6 years of their appointment (e.g., for an appointment date of July 1, 2025, the PhD must have been received since July 2, 2019). Applications should include: (1) a current curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter (2 pages) that describes your research and teaching profile, as well as your plans for the postdoc period;the cover letter should also briefly explain how your life experience, pedagogy, and/or research speaks to the representation of historically underrepresented minorities in the academy in the United States, Europe, and Southern Asia; (3) a research statement addressing current and future plans for research (2-3 pages); (4) a teaching statement addressing teaching experience and philosophy (1 page); (5) a writing sample from your research (no more than 25 pages); (6) names and contact information for three references whose letters will be solicited by the University of Chicago Divinity School if you become a finalist. All materials must be in English.


Review of applicants will begin November 25; applications will be reviewed until the position is filled or the search has closed.