Research Associates

While we do not offer funding for Research Associates, we provide a stimulating environment for research and exchange, which includes access the some of the resources offered by the Center, including but not limited to: access to our collections data management systems, access to the museums library/archives; access to our team of curators and researchers. Associates are appointed for 1 year with the possibility of extension (based on review). 

Scholars or professionals (with PhD or equivalent) who have considerable experience within their respective fields, with or without a permanent institutional affiliation, doing innovate work on ethnographic collections, who would benefit from working with the team of the RCMC/NMWV.

• Associates are expected to contribute to the intellectual life of the RCMC; this includes at least one presentation of their work to the research staff or broader RCMC audience
• All information generated about the collection should be entered into the museum database
• Associates must reference their affiliation with the RCMC in any publication resulting from their research at the center, and make this publication accessible to the RCMC
• Associates' research should support or be done in close collaboration with the curator in charge of the collections they are interested in working with
• Language requirement: Dutch and/or English

We accept applications for Research Associates at any time. Applications should be sent to rcmc@wereldculturen.nl. Please include ‘Research Associate’ in the subject line. Applications must include a cv and a brief research proposal. The proposal should not exceed 500 words, and should indicate the following:

• what the research is about (research question, methodology, theoretical framing)
• why the RCMC is the appropriate or ideal place to carry it out (why this research center and/or why these collections)
• the curator/collection you want to work with/on
• project planning and timeline
• planned output

Note: Research Associate positions are subject to the approval of the relevant curators. We therefore advise you to contact the curator in advance.

• We are aware that in recent years, excitingly, many programs have been teaching literature about decolonizing the museum, an ethical inquiry that we are committed to that requires self-reflection and critique and that is a long-term commitment. We expect anyone who researches with us to be as critical as they are respectful: listening, being themselves open to critique, and also critiquing us by fully engaging in rigorous, cutting-edge practices in what it means to be an academic and a professional working in a museum.
• Before you contact us, we invite you to consult with standard practices of the Internal Review Board process. The Lafayette College has a concise summary of what IRB is. Many scholarly publications require IRB approval for publication of research results based on human subject research. What we are interested in that in your contact with us when you seek research, we ask that you write emails to request an interview or consult models of informed consent that correspond to standard practice. You can find examples on the IRB website of Utrecht Universiteit, whose acronym is FETCH.