Call for Applications:
Two-Year Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Deadline: Monday, 6 April 2026
The Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ), Stellenbosch University, invites applications from outstanding postdoctoral researchers for two full-time Postdoctoral Fellowships, each linked to a specific AVReQ research project over a two-year period.
One candidate will be appointed to work on the research project “Historical Trauma and Repair: Fostering Transgenerational Wellbeing,” which is co-funded by the National Research Foundation (South Africa), Fondation Botnar (Switzerland), and the Human Sciences Research Council (South Africa). The successful candidate will join an international research team led by Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela.
“Historical Trauma and Repair: Fostering Transgenerational Wellbeing” is a multi-year collaborative project that aims to examine the intersection of historical trauma (such as colonialism, apartheid, and genocide), processes of repair that draw on culturally rooted practices, and relational wellbeing among different generations of descendants of direct victims of historical trauma. Working closely with an interdisciplinary team of researchers, the appointed postdoctoral fellow will manage the design and implementation of various aspects of the research project.
The second successful candidate will be expected to collaborate with and participate in the implementation of research plans for a project on “Transgenerational Legacies of Institutional Cultures.” This project involves archival research, surveys, and interviews.
Postdoctoral fellows are expected to work full-time on the projects assigned to them and to contribute to the Centre’s intellectual culture and the broader scholarly community of Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The second year of the fellowship is contingent upon satisfactory progress during the first year.
Note: Postdoctoral fellows are not appointed as employees, and their fellowships are awarded tax-free. As non-employees, fellows do not receive employee benefits such as contributions to retirement funds, medical aid, or other staff-related perks.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Applicants for the postdoctoral fellowship must hold a PhD from disciplines in the Humanities, Arts, or Social Sciences awarded within the last five years.
- Applicants should have demonstrable experience in humanities and social science research using qualitative or arts-based methods, evidenced in the doctoral thesis and/or peer-reviewed journal publications.
- Experience in one of the following research areas will be an advantage:
- Archival research for the “Transgenerational Legacies of Institutional Cultures” project; or
- Collaborative research, including working in research teams and managing research projects, especially community-based research, for the “Historical Trauma and Repair” project.
Application Procedure
All application documents must be submitted via email to AVREQINFO@sun.ac.za. The subject line POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION (in capital letters) must be followed by the title of the research for which the application is submitted, i.e., “Historical Trauma and Repair,” or “Transgenerational Legacies of Institutional Cultures.”
The following documents are required:
- A motivation letter of no more than two pages on why you would be the ideal candidate to work on one of these projects.
- CV clearly showing your previous scholarly and professional activities, including peer-reviewed publications.
- University transcripts for MA and PhD qualifications.
- Names of two referees who are familiar with your academic research journey.
Deadline for Applications: Monday, 6 April 2026
Commencement of duties: Monday, 4 May 2026