Multidisciplinary research: cultural and social anthropology, ethnolinguistics, indigenous studies

Project description:

The project addresses social, cultural and economic challenges linked to the reduction of linguistic diversity as well as discrimination and trauma linked to language endangerment and loss among speakers of minority languages and migrants. It aims at providing holistic, interdisciplinary, and contextualized study seeking relationship between language vitality and psychological and physical health and wellbeing, including economic sustainability, development and productivity. It will also provide responses on the level of application of research results at societal, educational, economic, psychological healthcare-related levels. The study will be based on carefully selected groups speaking minority and migrant languages, focusing on the area of Poland (speakers of Lemko and Wymysorys, Ukrainian migrants), but including a comparative perspective for relating to earlier research on the topic carried out in non-European contexts and necessary for testing the developed hypotheses (Nahuatl).

Institution: Faculty of „Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw

Project leader: Justyna Olko. Co-director: Michał Bilewicz

Key responsibilities include:

- carrying out a multidisciplinary research in close collaboration with other team members and

- Study of well-being, language ideology and language use in reference to the experiences of discrimination in the Nahuatl-speaking communities in Mexico

- Exploring and assessing language attitudes, ethnolinguistic identity and well-being of the communities in question

- Analysis of qualitative and quantitative ethnolinguistic data in modern Nahuatl generated during fieldwork

- Developing research methodology embracing indigenous perspectives and tools

- Creating practical solutions and strategies, along with the participating communities, for the expansion of their heritage language in direct relationship to the community’s well-being Methods and tasks:

- Sociolinguistic and ethnolinguistic fieldwork in Nahua communities

- Collecting and processing quantitative and qualitative data

- Carrying out analyses of quantitative and qualitative data

- Adapting the project’s tools to the cultural and social contexts of specific communities and conducting the research in accordance with the principles of Participatory Action Research and Community-Based/Community-Driven Research -Applying and developing concepts and methods of indigenous research methodology

Profile of candidates/requirements:

1. MA degree in humanities

2. The current status of a PhD student or enrolling into a PhD program by March 2019

3. Excellent knowledge of one of the variants of modern Nahuatl (preferably Huastecan, Tlaxcallan or Guerrero Nahuatl)

4. Documented research relating to modern Nahua language and culture

5. Practical and academic experience of studying and working with minority/discriminated groups, especially with regard to linguistic discrimination, linguistic rights, language revitalization

6. Documented experience of sociolinguistic and/or ethnolinguistic fieldwork in indigenous communities

7. Possibility to spend a substantial amount of time in Mexico in order to carry out the project fieldwork

8. Documented experience in teamwork is an asset

9. Publication record relevant to the themes of the project is an asset

Required documents: 1. Motivation letter in Polish, Spanish or English 2. Full CV documenting the relevant aspects of requirements for the position 3. Publications (pdf)

We offer: An opportunity for carrying out research and completing a PhD dissertation in an inspiring multidisciplinary research environment

Please submit the following documents to: jolko@al.uw.edu.pl

Application deadline: February 24, 2019

Interviews: February 26, 2019

For more details about the position please visit (website/webpage address): - Euraxess job/stipend offer (in case of PhD and postdoc positions): https://www.euraxess.pl/jobs/372567

Please include in your offer: “I hereby give consent for my personal data included in my application to be processed for the purposes of the recruitment process under the Personal Data Protection Act as of 29 August 1997, consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2016, item 922 as amended.”