The doctoral researcher will focus on the work package Transnational Narratives of the Hunger Blockade. The work package will use qualitative sources such as periodicals, stage plays, (dime) novels, diaries, medical reports and official records to assess the ‘hunger blockade’-discourse, that is, the accusation that the Allied blockade starved civilians, as it developed in Austria and Germany during and after the First World War. It will trace popular and official ‘myth narratives’ regarding the lethality of the Great War blockade and determine how they shaped popular perceptions and expectations of total warfare into the 1930s and 1940s. Despite the common assumption that the ‘hunger blockade’ impacted especially National Socialist thinking on total warfare, there is still no broader source-based study on the subject. The work package will make a notable contribution to understanding the workings of generational and transnational transmission of myth narratives as well as their political potency.
Table of Content
Summary
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Benefits
- Experience in an exciting, multi-location international research project
- Generous travel and conference funds and opportunity to invite guest scholars
- Opportunity for intellectual growth and career advancement, including a wide variety of training, mentoring and professional development offerings available at the university
- Open, inclusive and supportive work environment with committed colleagues
- Working in an attractive German university town, and in close proximity to the culinary and cultural delights of Switzerland, France and the Black Forest
- Salary according to the levels set by the public sector agreements TV-L E13 (https://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/tv-l/allg) at 65%.
- There is no teaching obligation associated with the position
Requirements
- You must have completed Master’s degree in history (or a closely related displine) or be able to show that the degree will be conferred shortly
- Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English (equivalent to at least level B2)
- Excellent reading skills in the languages of the countries (Germany, Austria) to be examined in the doctoral project (equivalent to level B2)
- Experience in dealing with archival sources
- Enthusiasm about the project and about working in a team
- Prior knowledge of the historiography and primary sources related to the period of the World Wars is desirable
Application Documents
Please Submit (in English)
- a letter of motivation detailing your prior experience and your fit for the project (1-2 pages)
- a research plan (2-4 pages; Calibri, 11 font size, 1.5 line space), including a provisional four-year work plan
- a CV
- Grade transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
- A writing sample (such as a term paper or Master’s thesis)
- Name and contact information of two referees to be contacted for references (upon or after reaching the interview stage)
Application Deadline
January 17, 2026How To Apply
- Please send your complete application documents – in one PDF file – to [email protected] by 17 January 2026. Interviews with selected applicants will take place in February.
For more information, kindly visit University of Freiburg scholarship webpage.
