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Rhodes University African Cluster Centre (Rhodes-ACC) is one of the four African partners working with the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence of the University of Bayreuth, Germany, towards reconfiguring African studies, on both the conceptual and the structural level.

Through the collaborative research project between Rhodes University and University of Bayreuth:

“When the law is not enough: Tackling intractable problems of human rights – Prospects for integrated approaches”

,we invite applications for a Postdoctoral Position who will be located at Rhodes University.

The Research Project

Despite tremendous strides in the legal and institutional protection of human rights in Africa which has seen the African Union champion the ever-growing framework of treaties and institutions dedicated to human rights protection, many African citizens still suffer the yoke of human rights abuses and in some cases, their situations seem worse than was the case before the advent of widespread constitutional protection. Questions arise, therefore, why despite the establishment of these extensive legal frameworks, human rights violations still persist on a large scale. Why is there such a huge disparity between the legal framework and the incidence of human rights violations? What can be done to close the gap between the formal protection as against the lived reality of citizens?

This project seeks to address these questions by focusing on three intractable problems of human rights, so defined because of the seeming impossibility to resolve them. They include child labour, human trafficking, and the protection of LGBTQI+ rights.Veering away from orthodox legal analysis, this project foregrounds solutions that reflect the multifaceted nature of the problems themselves. It utilises grounded methods from multiple disciplines and seeks data and analysis from a number ofcountries to enable space for a reflexive and relational discourse on how best to deal with hard problems of human rights.

The Postdoctoral Position

The successful candidate will be a key part of the project’s management. They will organise and coordinate the Advanced Methods Lab – a forum for ongoing research methods training and a plenum of the project and its key outputs. Additionally, the Postdoc will be a part of the Working Group on LGBTQI+ Rights and their research will mainly centre around this topic

The successful postdoctoral will be granted a fixed-term appointment for 4 years and will be based at Rhodes-ACC. The supervision of the Postdoctoral researcher at Rhodes University will be jointly conducted between Rhodes University (Prof. Dr. Uchenna Okeja) and University of Bayreuth (Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime).

Requirements

• A completed PhD in Human Rights or cognate areas.
• Further research and work experience in human rights on the African continent are expected
• Outstanding skills in different methodological approaches and knowledge on human rights to coordinate the Advanced Methods Lab
• Tolerant, enthusiastic and highly talented researcher with good research skills and varied experiences in the field.
• Excellent knowledge of English is required while knowledge of other languages will be an added advantage.
• Experience in managing large multi-institutional and interdisciplinary projects will be an advantage.
  

While Rhodes University promotes equal opportunity, the project encourages female and queer applicants of African origin who are currently underrepresented in the field of human rights in Africa.

What we offer

• Payment of stipend and research funds (according to Rhodes University guidelines)
• International Workshop and Conference participation
• Research trips to Zimbabwe and Ethiopia
• A stimulating, professional supervision
• An international and interdisciplinary research team
• Further development of management and research skills through the coordination of the research project and the Advanced Methods Lab. This sums up to exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
  

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, names of two referees, short curriculum vitae (max. two pages), list of publications, copies of degree certificates (undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD - applicants who have completed their PhDs recently and are awaiting graduation can submit a statement of result), and a brief project proposal (max. 8 pages, including literature references) showing how their proposed research would fit into the larger project.

Please send applications in one PDF to: Prof. Dr. Uchenna Okeja (u.okeja@ru.ac.za) and Prof. Dr. Thoko Kaime (thoko.kaime@uni-bayreuth.de).

The deadline for submission of applications is September 20th, 2021.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed virtually in September and successful candidates will be notified on the decision of the Selection Committee. The project aims to start in October 2021. For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Uchenna Okeja through email: u.okeja@ru.ac.za.