The Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH) is seeking applications for two PhD positions at the Faculty of Humanities, which can be announced from January 1, 2023, on doctoral research in the field of the history of hermetic philosophy and currents related.
The Center for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Streams (HHP) was founded in 1999 and has a leading international role in its field of research. The center is part of the Department of History, European Studies and Religious Studies (GER) and participates in courses offered in Religious Studies. There are five permanent employees and several doctoral students. The center focuses on critical historical research on a complex of movements at the interface between religion, philosophy and science, now treated under the umbrella term “esotericism”. These include broad cultural traditions such as astrology, alchemy and magic; and in terms of historical periodization, movements such as Neoplatonism, Hermeticism and Gnosticism in Late Antiquity; the transmission of the so-called occult sciences and the emergence of esoteric traditions in Judaism (Kabbalah) and Islam (Sufism) in the Middle Ages; the revival of Platonism and related currents of the Renaissance in the context of prisca theology, the philosophia perennis and the philosophia occulta; modern and early modern currents such as Paracelsianism, Christian Theosophy, Kabbalah (Jewish and Christian), Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry and Illuminism; 19th century movements such as spiritualism, occultism and traditionalism; related popular currents of “alternative spirituality” such as the New Age movement; and various forms of contemporary esotericism in popular culture. We are particularly interested in currents and movements that developed separately or in dialogue in Christian, Jewish and Islamic contexts, but we are also interested in the processes of interaction and diffusion in other cultural contexts.
Do you need more PhD?
Before you pursue another promotion, you must carefully decide whether you need the next promotion. Some people start researching the new field and slowly get drawn into the new field. You will be surprised how much you can learn on your own. Melissa Schilling, for example, has researched both strategy studies and Alzheimer’s. Just reading a few journal articles and learning about the new field can save yourself a lot of trouble.
Multiple promotions are really a personal choice. You already know that the first promotion was quite difficult, so the second promotion may go faster if you have this information.
Most of the time, I think people who stay in similar fields get their second doctorate faster than those who go into a different field. It’s just a qualitative sentiment, of course, but I doubt it’s true. Eggers and Song’s work shows that this may be the case for entrepreneurs, so I suspect this is also true for second-time graduate students.
What we can offer you
We offer you a fixed-term employment contract for a period of 48 months. The first contract will last 16 months with an extension for the following 32 months, subject to a positive performance evaluation within the first 12 months. The employment contract is for 38 hours (1.0 FTE) per week. The preferred start date is February 1, 2023.
The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and relevant experience, is €2,541 up to a maximum of €3,247. This amount does not include holiday pay of 8% and year-end pay of 8.3%. A more favorable tax treaty, the “30% rule”, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The collective agreement of the Dutch universities applies.