Two PhD Positions in the transnational history of friendship and disability (Leiden University)

The Institute for History at the University of Leiden invites applications for:

Two PhD Positions (0.9 FTE) in the transnational history of friendship and disability
The PhD candidates will become part of the ERC-funded project “Bridging Minds: Disability and Friendship since the 1960s from a Transnational Moral History Perspective” (DisFriend), led by dr. Paul van Trigt. The expected starting date is 1 September 2026.

Project description
This project will follow and contextualize how influential international organizations and communities in which people with and without disabilities have lived and worked together in countries all over the world, constructed, practiced and strived for friendship as a “moral good” since the 1960s. By analysing under-investigated archival data, published stories, and by conducting oral history interviews, DisFriend will enrich historiography with the history of overlooked but influential counter-hegemonic internationalisms and a rewriting of the history of community care from the perspective of cognitively disabled people. Moreover, DisFriend’s transnational moral history approach opens a new horizon in research on loneliness of marginalized groups beyond national approaches that only highlight vulnerability.

The candidates are to focus on one of the following subprojects:

1. Globalizing friendship. The first subproject focuses on the way in which international organizations constructed friendship between people with and without cognitive disabilities as a moral good. It studies the global spread of the idea of friendship from a historical perspective, based on archival materials (publications, minutes, correspondence, and reports) and oral history interviews. It investigates for instance, why L’Arche International was successful in countries such as France and Canada, but rarely started communities in Scandinavia and Latin America. Moreover, it places L’Arche in the context of international disability organisations with other aims and concepts such as human rights and studies how friendship played a role (or not) in the policies of influential organisations such as Disabled People International.
2. Universalizing friendship. The second subproject investigates how friendship was constructed as a moral good in the international literature since the 1960s. It follows how friendship between people with and without cognitive disabilities was perceived by different experts on cognitive disability and by people from other fields such as disability studies, theology, and philosophy. It could for instance study the relatively well-known case of friendship between the theologian Henri Nouwen and the cognitively disabled Adam Arnett. The subproject follows a critical approach by highlighting who did (not) embrace the idea of friendship, by articulating how the voice of disabled people was (not) heard, and by assessing the broader applicability of such cases. The research will mainly be based on published materials (books, articles, reports).

Key responsibilities

• Completion of a PhD thesis within four years;
• Participation in meetings of the project research group;
• Presentations of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;
• Participation in the training programme of the Graduate School;
• Co-organizing workshop and conference.

Requirements for PhD candidates

• An RMA or MA in history, held by time of appointment, with an MA thesis of high quality. If the degree is not yet obtained at the time of application, a statement by the applicant’s supervisor should confirm that it will be obtained by time of appointment;
• Well-developed research skills including archival research;
• Ability to work both independently and as part of an (international) team;
• Excellent command of English. If you apply for subproject 1, you need a good command of French or a willingness to learn it. In the case of subproject 2, command of French or other languages is an asset because it enables you to study not only English sources;
• Good writing skills;
• Interest in the history of friendship and disability and/or the history of internationalisms (subproject 1) and/or intellectual history (subproject 2).

Information
For more information, contact dr. Paul van Trigt, p.w.van.trigt@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Applications
Applications should be submitted in English and include a: Cover letter; Research proposal (maximum 500 words) which states how you would approach the two subprojects (or one of them); Curriculum vitae, including publications (if applicable); Copy of MA thesis.

Application deadline: 7 June 2026. More information on this vacancy and how to apply can be found via this website.