Assistant for the research project The Widening Gulf Between History and Memory: The Holocaust and the Undigested Past in Post-Communist Europe

We are seeking a candidate who is interested in working full-time for three months from 1 May 2026 or by agreement as a project assistant within the WAF research project The Widening Gulf Between History and Memory: The Holocaust and the Undigested Past in Post-Communist Europe at the Department of History, Lund University.

Description of the workplace and project

You will be based at the division of Histpry at the Department of History. The specific research area to which your position contributes concerns Holocaust denial and—more specifically—a phenomenon known as deflective negationism, a concept coined by the historian Michael Shafir (1944–2022). The concept does not entail outright denial, but rather an attempt to minimize the responsibility of one’s own nation by developing a form of “selective denial” and “comparative trivialization.” This is achieved through an extensive expansion of references to other cases of genocide, thereby reducing the Holocaust to one episode among many acts of violence. Using the concept of deflective negationism, this project aims to analyze similar narratives in the post-Soviet regions of Europe—an area that historically constituted the center of Ashkenazi culture. The essential features of the project can be summarized in the following:

What? The project explores non-engagement and strategies of disavowal, by employing wide lens inquiring several post-communist societies and their diasporas.

Why? A propcess of weaponization of the undigested past is ongoing in Eastern Europe; it is associated with a number of liabilities, ranging from relatively minor scandals to the full-fledged warfare. Ultimately, this is an increasingly urgent political matter, directly linked to the deteriorating security situation in Europe.

How? The project will study strategies of “deflective negationism” with particular emphasis on laws, agencies and discourses of disavowal.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. We also have a flexitime agreement that provides good conditions for work/life balance. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: Work at Lund University | Lund University.

Work duties and areas of responsibility

The position as involves reseach administative work with Russian and Belarusian sources. These sources are to be identified, collected, compiled into a source compendium, and subsequently analyzed. You will be responsible for coding qualitative material within the field of Russian and Belarusian genocide policies and discourses after 1945. In addition, the position may involve translation of Belarusian and Russian sources, as well as participation in ongoing meetings and events of the project group. You are expected to work independently while maintaining regular dialogue with other members of the project.

Qualifications

Requirements for employment are:

• A completed degree (first-cycle studies or higher) in East European History or Eastern European Culture Studies with a specialization in Russia and/or Belarus.
• Prior knowledge within the field of Holocaust memory in Eastern Europe.
• Very good proficiency in Russian.
• Ability to work independently, thoroughly, and systematically.
• Strong collaborative skills.
• Experience working with archival sources and with discourse analysis.

Additional qualifications for the position are:

• Proficiency in Belarusian or other East European languages of relevance for the project.

Further information

The position is a fixed term position for three months at full time and starting 1 May 2026 or by agreement.

How to apply

Applications are to be submitted via the University’s recruitment system. The application should include a personal letter justifying your interest in the position and how it matches your qualifications. The application should also include a CV, relevant degree certificates and a thesis or other work demonstrating your qualitative engagement with Eastern European history or cultural studies pertaining to Eastern Europe, with a specialization in Russia and/or Belarus.