Call for Philadelphia Faculty

Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, a non-profit critical education and research institute which integrates rigorous but accessible scholarly study with the everyday lives of working adults and re-imagines scholarship for the 21st century, seeks scholars who are interested in joining our Philadelphia faculty to teach and design rigorous seminar-style courses for adult students. We are currently seeking new faculty members with specialized expertise in one of the following collected areas:

• Critical Ethnic Studies, Sociology, or Anthropology: Expertise in contemporary critical ethnic studies, sociology, and/or anthropology as it connects to issues of race in the United States and/or Latin America. Candidates must possess a deep familiarity with American history in its multiple dimensions (cultural, political, economic), and strong preference will be given to those who can connect their particular area of expertise to contemporary issues and methods in other social scientific and humanistic disciplines.
• Heterodox Economics and/or Political Economy: Expertise in Marxist, post-Marxist, and other heterodox traditions of economics, and political economy. Familiarity with theories of underdevelopment, reproductive labor, finance capital, cognitive capital, and/or primitive accumulation is expected. Candidates must be able to connect these theoretical frameworks to historical-material conditions along divisions of gender, race, geography, and capacity.
• Queer Theory: Expertise in queer theory and plural feminist traditions (postcolonial, decolonial, Third and Fourth World theories, and/or intersectionality). Candidates must demonstrate a fluency in trans and intersex concerns, as well as put queer theory in conversation with historical developments of gendered practices. Familiarity with Frankfurt School critical theory and the ability to connect queer theory to understandings of race, religion, and ability are a plus, but not required.
• “World” Literature: Expertise in  literature from non-Western geographies. Fluency with decolonial and postcolonial movements and theory is strongly preferred. Ability to teach pre-modern subjects, comparatively, and familiarity with critical theory and Western literary theory is a plus but not required. Seeking candidates who can connect literary and historical movements, and also bring to the fore aesthetic dimensions of a work without reduction to the ethnographic. Focus on Latinx, Indigenous, Caribbean, South-East Asian, Middle Eastern, and African literatures are strongly encouraged. 

Successful candidates for all faculty positions will have or be working toward a terminal degree in their field, be located n the Philadelphia metropolitan-area (broadly construed), have strong teaching experience , and a commitment to pedagogy and interdisciplinary research interests that complement those of other BISR faculty.

We are particularly interested in applicants who also wish to take an active part in other Institute programming beyond the classroom, including Institute projects, digital offerings, development, and other programming. Candidates will be teaching multiple seminars on the BISR model annually.

BISR is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other legally protected status. Applications from women and historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.

Interested candidates should submit a CV and three short course proposals/ideas to BISR’s Executive Director (ajay@thebrooklyninstitute.com), Philadelphia Coordinator (theodra@thebrooklyninstitute.com), and Program Manager (mark@thebrooklyninstitute.com) with the subject line “BISR Faculty Application.” (For a sense of the kinds of courses, formats, and styles BISR employs, please visit the course archive.) The deadline to apply is Friday February 22, 2019.