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Position Opening: Research Associate (PhD Position) for the history, economy and law of the early Islamic empire, Universität Hamburg, October 3, 2026
October 3, 2025
From the institution:
Faculty of Humanities, Asia-Africa-Studies, Islamic Studies
Salary level: EGR. 13 TV-L
Start date: as soon as possible, fixed until 31.12.2027 (This is a fixed-term contract in accordance with Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act [Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG]).
Application deadline: 03.10.2025
Scope of work: part-time
Weekly hours: 50 % of standard work hours per week
Your responsibilities
Duties further include academic services in the mentioned research field and the project named above. Research associates may also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications. They may also pursue doctoral studies outside of working duties.
Specific Duties:
The professorship of Islamic Studies works in field of Early Islamic and Comparative Empire studies. The applicant will work within an interdisciplinary environment. The position requires an active participation and engagement in the activities of the professorship of Islamic Studies at the Asien Afrika Institute (https://www.aai.uni-hamburg.de/voror.html) and the RomanIslam Center for Comparative Empire and Transcultural Studies (www.romanislam.uni-hamburg.de), i.e. coordinating the websites, lecture series, workshops, research colloquia and further activities in the field.
The RomanIslam Center of Comparative Empire and Transcultural Studies convenes the disciplines of comparative empire and transcultural studies. The approach aims to compare transcultural acculturisation processes during the first millennium CE, or the so-called „Long Late Antiquity“, including the Early Islamic Period.
The successful applicant will concentrated on the political, economic, or cultural history of the early Islamic Empire and the period of the regional states. A successful PhD-thesis is expected in the field of administrative divisions, political structures, imperial religions versus local believes, economy, the transformation of cities, etc.
Your profile
A university degree in a relevant field.
An excellent university degree (MA) in a relevant fields of Middle Eastern, and North African Studies or Studies on the Islamic Iberian Peninsula, excellent Arabic language skills, experience with Arabic historical primary sources, excellent knowledge of English, and French, are required.
The knowledge of further languages relevant for the study of the Islamic Empire, such as Syriac, Spanish, Latin, etc. is advantageous.
Experience in working with additional sources, such as archaeological, numismatic, material culture, GIS is welcome but not a requirement.
The applicant is expected to conduct doctoral studies in a field relevant to the early Islamic and its successor states.
