Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship in History

“Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Western Borderlands” (Job # 123054)
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies

The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS) at Arizona State University (ASU) invites applications for one (1) postdoctoral scholar position in “Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Western Borderlands,” including the continental West and the Pacific Rim. This position is located at the Arizona State University at the Tempe campus. All postdoctoral fellowship positions are for one year, starting July 1, 2024. Options for an additional one or two years of funding or a transition to a tenure track position may be offered, depending on each fellow’s progress and training needs. Faculty tenure track appointments will require a process of review within the designated tenure home unit.

The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS) is part of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As ASU’s largest humanities-based trans-disciplinary research and teaching school, SHPRS produces innovative and distinguished research on diverse subjects.

SHPRS is well situated to provide training and mentorship in the area of the Western Borderlands. SHPRS has over a half-dozen scholars in History prepared to provide training and mentorship to a postdoctoral fellow.

One of Arizona State University’s historic strengths is its expertise in Indigenous history and the history of the American West, a tradition that began in the 1960s and continues to thrive. ASU faculty in borderlands and Western history have produced numerous award-winning monographs. Over the course of several decades, distinguished historians at ASU have mentored scores of graduate students in the fields of U.S. West, borderlands, and Indigenous history. These scholars have gone on to success in academia, museums, public history, and beyond. The postdoctoral scholar will benefit from the collective expertise and institutional success in mentoring scholars in the field. SHPRS seeks to continue expanding its reputation and expertise in race, ethnicity, and gender in the Western Borderlands. SHPRS seeks a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow to welcome into this long tradition of excellence.

The postdoctoral scholars selected will join a cohort of 10-15 other postdoctoral scholars at ASU as part of the Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The program aims to support the career development of outstanding Ph.D. recipients with great potential for advancing the ASU Charter into a future tenure track appointment at ASU.

The program seeks applicants whose professional preparedness, experience, and accomplishments are informed by experiences working with and within groups historically underrepresented in higher education in the United States. Where pools of qualified applicants are strong, priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate, through prior actions and achievements, intentional and actioned commitment to the values expressed in ASU’s charter. Such contributions include research or creative activity focused on empowering underserved populations; teaching, mentorship, and service that increases equitable access; and inclusion in fields where historically excluded populations are underrepresented.

The School of Historical Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS) has committed to providing individualized mentorship and career development to ensure each candidate is well prepared to succeed in a future tenure track appointment. Career development and community building will also occur through programmatic support at the ASU Graduate College’s Postdoctoral Affairs Office.

About Arizona State University

ASU is a large, comprehensive, research university and for nearly two decades, has transformed into the “New American University,” one dedicated to the simultaneous pursuit of excellence, broad access to quality education, and meaningful societal impact. By our Charter and Design Aspirations, we center inclusion and success as values that drive the enterprise; adopt inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning as ways to address society’s greatest challenges; and develop innovative partnerships to produce master learners across the lifespan. To learn more about ASU, visit http://www.asu.edu.

Qualifications and Characteristics

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in history or a related field by the time of appointment (and a degree conferred no earlier than 2019).
• Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty, staff, students and communities to advance the principles of the ASU Charter.

Desired Qualifications:

• A scholar whose work is multi-disciplinary and who will thrive in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Demonstrated interest in one or more of the following: the intersection of Indigeneity and Blackness in the Western Borderlands, empire, migration, diasporic communities.
• Scholarship and service that reflect a commitment to the values expressed in ASU’s Charter
• The ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of people, both academic and non-academic.
• Ability and willingness to present work in progress to the SHPRS community.

The successful candidate will:

• Receive a $60,000 fiscal year salary and a one-time relocation stipend of $5,000.
• Receive a $3,000 research stipend.

Job Duties (starting July 1, 2024):

• Teach one course during the second semester. The first semester will allow the postdoctoral fellow to design a course with assistance from ASU and SHPRS instructional designers.
• The Presidential Postdoctoral fellow will present his or her research at a scholarly conference.
• The Presidential Postdoctoral fellow will present his or her research work in a presentation to the SHPRS community of scholars and students towards the end of the spring semester.
• Focus their attention on developing and submitting a book proposal to a tier-one academic press. With support from faculty mentors, the selected candidate will work towards completing and submitting a book manuscript.
• Receive training and guidance in placing academic articles in tier-one journals and navigating the peer review process.
• Receive training and support in grant writing; the selected candidate may have the opportunity to work with fellow scholars in applying for small and large grants, including those from the National Endowment of the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and agencies such as the Ford and Spencer Foundations.

Applications and Inquiries

Applications can be submitted online at apply.interfolio.com/131608. Application materials should include the following:

• a curriculum vitae;
• a letter of interest describing how you meet the qualifications noted above;
• a statement of how your past and/or potential contributions will advance the values of the ASU Charter; and
• contact information for 3 references including email addresses.

Application deadline is October 28, 2023. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for a reserve pool. Applications in the reserve pool may then be reviewed in the order in which they were received until the position is filled.

Inquiries can be directed to: Prof. Donald Fixico, Donald.Fixico@asu.edu. A background check is required for employment.

ASU is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For more information on ASU’s policies, please see: https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and its complete non-discrimination statement at: https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965- 3456.