Two PhDs in the History of Migrant Women's Labour in Postwar Europe

Are you interested in joining a collaborative team to study women’s migration from Southern Europe and Turkey to France and Germany in the post-World War II era, and the role of work in their trajectories? Passionate about archival research and oral history? Self-motivated and ready to learn new research skills? 

The Department of History is looking for two PhD candidates to undertake archival and oral history research on women’s migration and work. You will be part of a new European Research Council-funded project entitled FeMMiWork: Women Migrants from the Northern Mediterranean and Work in Postwar Northwestern Europe.

Using a transnational lens that takes migrants’ countries both of origin and residence into account, FeMMiWork investigates the experiences of women who migrated from Italy, Yugoslavia, and Turkey to France and Germany in the 1950s-1970s and who engaged in paid work. In spite of their large numbers, their labour has been largely erased by policymakers and forgotten by researchers who focused on male labour migration.  Drawing on archival sources and oral history, the project aims to understand what role paid work played in migrant women’s life trajectories, and in shaping relations with their communities of origin and destination. The project also aims to make the histories of these women visible by creating a ‘counter-archive’ using documents, oral histories, and creative writing. 

Two PhDs are sought, one to document the trajectories of women from Italy, and one to do so for women from Turkey. Each PhD will be researching women who moved to Germany and to France. There is room, within this framework, to shape the PhD project in line with your own interests. You will be part of a collaborative and interdisciplinary team examining commonalities and differences across countries of origin (Italy, Turkey, and Yugoslavia) and destination countries (France and Germany). The team consists of the Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Brigitte Le Normand, one postdoctoral researcher, a project manager, an ICT consultant, and two PhDs. The PI will research the case of women from Yugoslavia. The PI and post-doctoral researcher will additionally support the PhDs by carrying out research in French and German archives. The team will jointly address the project’s larger conceptual questions through reading groups, workshops, and collaborative writing projects. 

The tasks include: 

• Developing a research plan, taking into consideration ethics and data management procedures of the Faculty;
• Literature review of published sources including Italian or Turkish language, as relevant;
• Archival research and oral history focused on the experiences of women migrants;
• Participating in the development of a counter-archive of migrant working women;
• Writing a doctoral dissertation and (co)authoring publications (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles);
• Participating in group meetings and contributing to the organization of events and workshops;
• Presenting work-in-progress at international workshops, conference panels and to colleagues within the Faculty.

In this role you will learn to synthesize archival research and oral history while developing your writing and teamwork skills. Further trainings will be provided through the university Graduate School. 

The position also includes 0.2 FTE teaching, which will allow you to develop your teaching skills and credentials.

Requirements

We are looking for someone who is excited and motivated to do a PhD project based on archival research and oral history, and in a team context. The position requires residence in Maastricht or the surrounding region (except for the fieldwork periods). Specifically, we are looking for someone who has:

• A completed Master’s degree in History, Anthropology, Geography, Sociology or related interdisciplinary fields such as migration studies;
• Demonstrable experience with and passion for qualitative research methods, particularly archival research or oral history;
• Strong analytical and writing skills;
• Advanced English language competency (speaking and writing for academic contexts);
• Excellent organizational skills and motivation to meet project milestones/deadlines;
• Enthusiasm to contribute to a collaborative team environment and to shared goals;
• Working knowledge of Italian or Turkish. If applying for the Turkish case study, knowledge of other languages spoken in Turkey is an asset;
• (desirable, not required) Working knowledge of German and/or French. Please indicate clearly level on CV, using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale

What we offer
As PhD candidate at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale P according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3059,00 and €3881,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1,0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow. 
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model. 
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students. 
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'. 
   

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM. 

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.  
 

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programs, eight masters programs and two research master programs that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.
 

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation. 
 

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction. 
 

Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job. For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS
 

Department
The PhD will be embedded in the Department of History at FASoS. The PhD will also be a member of the Globalisation, Transnationalism, and Development (GTD) research group. Researchers in the GTD research programme work on topics such as the transnational production and circulation of knowledge, and transnational migration and mobilities. In both spaces, there are opportunities for cross-disciplinary exchange in a lively and supportive environment. 

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Brigitte Le Normand at  b.lenormand@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information. Do you have any questions regarding the procedure, please contact Manon Souren (Recruiter) at manon.souren@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD candidate? Apply now, no later than 30 November 2025 for this position.

Please upload/provide:

• Your CV (max. 2 pages)
• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages) clearly addressing the following questions: 
  1. What are your motivations for doing a PhD?
  2. How does this PhD position fit in with your previous experience and your aspirations?
  3. How would you tailor the PhD theme (postwar women’s migration and work) to your specific interests, networks and skills? 
• A writing sample in the English language (e.g. chapter from the Master’s thesis). Note: Machine-translated writing samples will not be accepted.
• Contact information of 2 referees (e.g. Master’s supervisor) 

The first interviews preferably take place in early January 2026. The second interviews (if necessary) will preferably be held around two to three weeks later. 
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit a research proposal (1000 words) before the interview outlining a preliminary idea for a PhD project. A reference check will be part of the application procedure. 

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.