The Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History Munich–Berlin (IfZ) has a vacancy from 1 June 2025 for a
Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d)
within the project “H-DIARIES. The first testimonies of the Holocaust written by Jewish victims. Analysis, inventory, mapping”.
The full-time position at the Center for Holocaust Studies is remunerated at salary group 13 TV-L and is limited to a three-year contract. The place of work is Munich. As per the job-related requirements, the position is also suitable for part-time employment.
The Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) is an independent non-university research institution that examines the history of Germany within European and global contexts from the 20th century to the present day. It is a member of the Leibniz Association and is institutionally funded by the federal and state governments; additionally, the IfZ raises third-party funding for a wide range of research projects on contemporary history. The Center for Holocaust Studies, established in 2013, is an international academic and communication center for Holocaust research. It organizes conferences and workshops, conducts research and editorial projects, and contributes to university teaching on the topic of the Holocaust.
The French-German research project “H-DIARIES - The first testimonies of the Holocaust written by Jewish victims. Analysis, inventory, mapping” is being jointly carried out by The Center for Holocaust Studies and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris and is funded for three years by the DFG and the ANR. While Holocaust diaries have become crucial sources for the growing field of Holocaust historiography in recent decades, they have, with a few exceptions, rarely been studied as objects in their own right. Furthermore, they have not been situated within broader geographical, temporal, and material contexts. Our project aims to conduct an extensive study of diaries written by Jews during the Shoah as a distinct corpus. The project will first identify and then comprehensively investigate these diaries. To do so, the diaries will be collected in a database and analyzed. A key focus is geographical analysis over time, which will be supported by appropriate data modeling. We plan to document the Shoah through a source basis of unprecedented scope, capturing both the diversity and convergences of Holocaust experiences. The project will facilitate the writing of transnational histories of the Holocaust from diarists’ perspectives, as well as develop conceptual, methodological, educational, and digital tools to approach these sources as a distinct and cohesive collection.
Your Responsibilities:
Coordination and implementation of the project in close cooperation with the project partners in France
Research of the diaries of Jews in archives in the USA, Israel and Poland, among other countries
Participation in recording the diaries within the project database
Content analysis of the diaries and analysis of their writing contexts and trajectories
Organization of internal project meetings and workshops, conferences and training for education multipliers
Your Profile:
Very good PhD degree in modern history/contemporary history, literary studies, Jewish studies, or another humanities subject relevant to Holocaust research;
Very good knowledge of and research experience on the topic of National Socialism, persecution of Jews, and the Holocaust;
Very good knowledge of German, English, and at least one other language, preferably an Eastern or Central European language;
High social competence, team orientation, and flexibility
The following skills are also desirable:
Knowledge of French
Ability to read Yiddish and/or Hebrew
Knowledge of basic web technologies
Experience in advising database users
Confident use of MS Office applications
What we offer:
An interesting, varied position in a professionally challenging field
A stimulating and lively working environment
Flexible working hours
Attractive social benefits such as a company pension scheme (VBL) and capital accumulation benefits (vermögenswirksame Leistungen)
Very good working conditions and a pleasant working atmosphere
The Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History strives to achieve gender balance in all of its employment groups. We support women and therefore expressly encourage them to apply. We additionally aim to further improve the balance between work and family life. People with severe disabilities will be given priority if they are equally qualified.
Please send your application documents in German or English (in particular, curriculum vitae with detailed information on experience to date, university diploma(s), and any other relevant supporting material) in one PDF file (max. 10 MB) by e-mail (bewerbung[at]ifz-muenchen.de) to the Director of the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, Prof. Dr. Andreas Wirsching, Leonrodstraße 46b, 80636 Munich, by 23.03.2025, quoting the reference number M2025-01.
We look forward to receiving your application. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Co-Coordinator of the H-DIARIES project Prof. Dr. Andrea Löw (loew[at]ifz-muenchen.de).
Please note the data protection information at www.ifz-muenchen.de/data-protection-application.
