Missions

The Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR), with the support of the CNRS and in conjunction with the French Research Center in Jerusalem (CRFJ) and the THALIM Joint Research Unit, is offering a one-year postdoctoral grant to a researcher wishing to develop research on literature dealing with madness and war in the context of political violence: comparative approach (Israel and Palestine, English-speaking or French-speaking worlds).
The researcher will be hosted at the THALIM laboratory, UMR 7172 in Paris. During the same period, he or she will receive mobility credits (travel, accommodation, and fieldwork expenses) capped at €2,000/month for a maximum of six months, in order to carry out one or more phases of fieldwork in Israel, hosted by the CRFJ.
The person, recruited for one year starting February 1, 2026, will carry out his or her activities under the responsibility of Sarga Moussa, DR CNRS, director of UMR THALIM, DR CNRS, and François-Xavier Fauvelle, director of the CRFJ.

Activities

The researcher will conduct an original research project on writings about madness and war in contexts of political violence, adopting a comparative perspective that includes Israel/Palestine and case studies located in French-speaking or English-speaking, colonial or post-colonial worlds. He or she will analyze literary forms—fictional, auto fictional, or testimonial—that give shape to psychological suffering and the fragmentation of subjectivity in a context of militarized society and political violence. A comparison with historical situations of segregation, ethnic supremacism, and political violence (United States, South Africa, colonial or post-colonial Africa) is expressly expected in order to anchor the analysis in a broad and documented perspective of the literary transfigurations of mechanisms of domination and trauma.
Assigned to the THALIM laboratory and also affiliated with the CRFJ, the researcher will contribute to the scientific activities of these two units: participation in at least one international conference, writing at least one article for a peer-reviewed journal, leading a seminar session or reading workshop at the CRFJ, collaborating with other researchers from the local academic community (Jewish-Israeli, Arab-Israeli, Jerusalemite, Palestinian) working on literature in the context of political violence.

Skills

The successful candidate will hold a PhD in literature, with a specialization in contemporary literature and in-depth knowledge of critical theories of madness and violence (trauma studies, medical humanities, postcolonial studies, critical psychiatry, or gender studies), and will be required to present a solid project in comparative literature. An ability to articulate rigorous textual analysis and theoretical reflection is essential, as is an ability to work on corpora from different historical contexts, literary traditions, and experiences of political domination.
Fluency in Hebrew or Arabic is required. Fluency in English is also mandatory in order to ensure that the project can be integrated into international scientific exchanges. An interest in interdisciplinary approaches—history of psychiatry, anthropology of care, political sociology—is welcome, as is a strong sense of collaboration and intellectual engagement within diverse academic circles.

Work Context

The researcher will be assigned to and hosted by the THALIM laboratory (UMR 7172) in Paris. The THALIM joint research unit contributes to writing a plural and transnational history of modernity through the lens of the arts and literature. The expertise of specialists in literature, film studies, theatre studies, art history and aesthetics provides multiple approaches to this complex history, which is also informed by the diversity of the cultural and linguistic areas under consideration and by the study of the cultural transfers at work within them. The UMR is a pioneer in several fields, including the avant-gardes, contemporary literature, performing arts since the late 19th century, postcolonial and gender studies, sound studies, and digital humanities. UMR 7172 is jointly supervised by the CNRS, Sorbonne Nouvelle University and the ENS.
The CRFJ is a research center belonging to the UMIFRE network, i.e. the mixed research laboratories of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Located in Jerusalem (Israel), the CRFJ's annual scientific programme covers all disciplines in archaeology, the humanities and the social sciences; it supports French archaeological missions in Israel; it works to strengthen academic cooperation; it conducts a watch on emerging French and European research relating to Israel; it supports young researchers; it provides support for training through research in both countries and for the transfer of skills between the two countries; it contributes to the dissemination of research findings. Its activities are examined by its Scientific Advisory Board.

During the period of the fixed-term contract, the researcher will benefit from mobility credits (travel, accommodation and field expenses) of up to 2,000 euros/month for a maximum of 6 months, in order to carry out one or more phases of fieldwork in Israel, hosted by the CRFJ.

Constraints and risks

The researcher will have to take into account the security constraints specific to the two countries, France and Israel.

Additional Information

Applications must be sent to both the director of the CRFJ, François Xavier Fauvelle, and Sarga Moussa, and submitted via the CNRS job portal (https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Candidat/Inscription/Default.aspx). The postdoctoral contract will begin on February 1, 2026 (this date may be adjusted depending on the professional constraints of the recipient).

The application (in French or English) will consist of the following two documents:
- A single pdf document (maximum 10 pages) detailing the research project, bibliography and timetable of planned activities, and including a letter of motivation, detailed CV and any other relevant documents;
- One or two of the applicant's publications in a single pdf document.