[ecrea] Full-time PhD Candidate - visual/digital culture in Cuba

The Visual & Digital Cultures Research Center (ViDi) of the University 
of Antwerp seeks a:

Full-time PhD Candidate to conduct research and write a dissertation on 
visual/digital culture in Cuba within the framework of an FWO-funded 
project:

“From the Peripheries of the Wired World: An ethnographic study of 
everyday digital visual practices in Havana (Cuba) and New Delhi (India).”

Goals of the project

The present project aims at exploring the meaning of digital visual 
technologies from the vantage point of Cuba, a country that is just 
presently witnessing the public arrival of digital connectivity. 
Building upon the use of ethnographic research tools and practices the 
project focuses on 3 main areas:

ü  Photographic practices;

ü  Film and video practices;

ü  Spatial practices.

Dialoguing with the work conducted in India by the other members of the 
research team this project will contribute in instigating a rethinking 
of conventional Western assumptions regarding the digital turn from the 
vantage point of those who inhabit the  “peripheries” of  the  wired world.

The selected candidate is expected to:

ü  Conduct ethnographic fieldwork on digital/visual practices in Cuba;

ü  Be able to interface the research on Cuba with that on India (carried 
on by the members of the research team);

ü  Write and complete a PhD dissertation within four years and 
collaborate in the creation of original publications on the topics 
relating to the main overarching project (see below);

ü  Actively participate in the activities of the ViDi and the Dept. of 
Communication Studies.

ü  Participate in conferences, workshops, seminars and other scholarly 
activities.

The Candidate’s Profile

ü  A master degree in Anthropology, Sociology, Communication Studies, 
Film Studies & Visual Culture, Urban Studies, Cultural Geography (or any 
other degree relevant to the project);

ü  A high standard of spoken and written English and Spanish is required;

ü  A strong interest in and/or prior experience in the fields of visual 
and digital culture;

ü  Strong analytic and conceptual skills;

ü  Ability to carve out an original PhD project in the broad confines of 
the FWO project;

ü  Previous research experience in/on Cuba (or central America) is 
recommended;

ü  Master students in their final year may also apply.

The Team

This research project is funded by the Research Foundation Flanders 
(FWO) and the PhD student will be supervised by Prof. Paolo S. H. Favero 
(visual anthropologist) and Prof. Philippe Meers (media and film scholar).

The Offer

ü  A full-time PhD scholarship starting during Spring 2017. The 
appointment is for one year, but renewable three times (four years in 
total to complete a PhD);

ü  A dynamic and stimulating international work environment of 
experienced scholars, postdocs and PhD candidates;

ü  A very competitive gross monthly salary ranging from € 2.280,27 to € 
2.744,24.

To Apply Send:

ü  a CV;

ü  a short motivation letter (max. half a page);

ü  one reference letter;

ü  one proof of your writing and research skills (paper, article or 
thesis) in the areas addressed by the project;

ü  evidence of language knowledge;

ü  and a preliminary sketch of how you would lay out the research in 
Cuba. This sketch must be 2 pages long and very concrete.

These materials have to be sent to Prof. Paolo S. H. Favero 
((paolo.favero /at/ uantwerpen.be)) and Prof. Philippe Meers 
((philippe.meers /at/ uantwerpen.be)).

To facilitate our job kindly write “From the Peripheries of the Wired 
World” in the subject of your e-mail.

DEADLINE: 15 March 2017.

A pre-selection will be made from amongst the submitted applications. 
The next step will involve an interview (possibly via Skype) and 
possibly also a practical assignment.

Abstract of the Main Project

Questioning the deterministic and Western-centric assumptions that 
underline the idea of “the digital” as a monolith capable of engendering 
similar reactions across the globe, the present project aims to offer an 
ethnographically driven, in-depth analysis of the spread of digital 
media from a transnational perspective. Focussing on two urban locations 
representing different types fringes of the global spread of digital 
media (the cities of Havana, Cuba and New Delhi, India), this study will 
approach the topic from the particular vantage point of visual culture. 
The attention to digital visualities, i.e. to instances of production 
and consumption of images in a digital landscape, constitutes a concrete 
opportunity for studying what we could call paraphrasing Manovich (2009) 
practices of everyday digital life. The attention to concrete mundane 
engagements with images will allow us to generate new insights into the 
multiple faces of the digital turn. Regarding the sites for the research 
both Cuba and India host a very rich visual culture, while offering also 
examples of different trajectories of digital development. While India 
constitutes a territory were digital technologies are scarce resource 
but at the same time also a symbol for a rich and powerful future, Cuba 
is just presently witnessing to the public arrival of digital 
connectivity, it is facing its own digital turn. This is a unique moment 
in history for studying these contexts.

The University of Antwerp strives to contribute to an open, democratic 
and multi-cultural society. We are a family friendly environment and 
follow an equal-opportunities policy.


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