Creative Knowledge Resources (CKR) is a project funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the University of Cape Town which seeks to document and study socially engaged art and art interventionism. It also seeks to engage with the pedagogical approaches to art historicism and writing and is aimed at establishing a collaborative network of artists, cultural practitioners and art historians across Africa.

Through professional development and mentorship, CKR seeks to grow scholarship on African socially engaged art. Creative practices have become the site for political discourse, catalysing the necessary debates about belonging, citizenship, race, gender, class and sexuality. Increasing unconventional art forms and socio-cultural interventions in Africa do not only present novel ways of re-thinking the tenets of the art history discipline but also necessitate a careful inquiry of art, politics and social dynamics. The objective is to develop art scholars based on the continent who can generate transnational dialogues and produce theoretical material about socially engaged art and art interventionism.

CKR places emphasis on developing art scholarship in African Social Art History and so this project seeks scholars who can form part of a broader network of critical thinkers in the arts. It seeks to develop and collaborate with art writers and art historians through community-centred research. The Postdoctoral fellow will be based at the Michaelis School of Fine Art and will have appropriate access to the research facilities of the University of Cape Town.

Fellows will be eligible for:

• Annual workshop collaborations with various art centres
• Local and international conference travel grants

Conditions of award:

• postdoctoral research fellowships are only available to individuals who have achieved a doctoral degree within the past 5 years;
• applicants may not previously have held full-time permanent professional or academic posts;
• the successful incumbent will be required to comply with the University’s approved policies, procedures and practices for the postdoctoral sector;
• Postdoctoral fellows are required to produce at least two publishable peer-reviewed research outputs during the tenure of the fellowship (or equivalent).

The successful candidate may, as part of their professional development, be requested to participate in departmental activities such as limited teaching and co-supervision and duties incidental thereto.

Value and tenure of the fellowship:

• The full value of the fellowship is R255 000 per annum
• The fellowship is compliant with the SARS policies/rules and is therefore exempt from taxation can be included
• The fellowship is tenable for one year and where renewal for a second year is possible, the renewal will be considered on the evidence of satisfactory academic progress and availability of funds.

The University of Cape Town reserves the right to:

• disqualify ineligible, incomplete and/or inappropriate applications,
• change the conditions of award or to make no awards at all

HOW TO APPLY

Application requirements:

• A motivation letter stating areas of expertise, research interests and experience
• A CV including a list of publications/scholarly output;
• Certified copies of academic transcripts and ID
• Academic writing sample
• Letters of reference from at least two academics who have taught, supervised or worked alongside the applicant.

Applications must be submitted to: nomusa.makhubu@uct.ac.za (with the subject line: Creative Knowledge Resources Postdoc application).

www.uct.ac.za