Vacant job

The Department of History at Lund University is seeking two students to work as 20% project assistants in research projects focusing on household economy, wealth, and inheritance from a historical perspective.

This is an abbreviated version of the advertisement. To access the full advertisement, please click on "Apply via external website".

Workplace Description

The positions are linked to the research node HEIRS, which is specifically focused on research into household economy, wealth, and inheritance from a historical perspective. Currently, several different research projects are being conducted at HEIRS, including GeneaLogies of Old Wealth (GLOW), The Geography of Wealth, Entailed Estates in Sweden over 400 Years, as well as a smaller project on family and land in Sweden during the 20th century. The projects involve several researchers, both at Lund University and at other universities in Sweden and abroad.

As a project assistant at HEIRS, you will be attached to several ongoing projects and assist by inventorying, excerpting, and conducting simpler analyses of various source materials. You will work within several projects and partly together with other amanuenses and research assistants. Closely linked to HEIRS is also a seminar activity together with the Department of Economic History in Lund (the seminar Work & Livelihood), where you are expected to participate (3-4 seminars per term). The HEIRS research node is newly established, and as a project assistant, you will be an important part of developing the activities at HEIRS for the future, alongside the practical research work.

The majority of the work will be based at the Department of History in Lund, but occasional tasks may also be carried out at archival institutions within Sweden.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The tasks for this position include:

• Systematic collection of data from mainly handwritten source materials related to various research projects.
• Transcription of handwritten source material and proofreading of transcriptions.
• Inventorying of various source materials and simpler database processing.
• Compilation of research literature.
• Preparatory analysis work.
• Supporting the HEIRS research environment and developing its activities.

The tasks include both the overall development of the HEIRS research node and research tasks within a couple of the projects ongoing at HEIRS. These cover themes such as household economy, nobility, elites, peasants, wealth, land ownership, and entailed estates. The projects have a quantitative methodological starting point but also include case studies and more qualitative approaches. An economic fundamental perspective exists in all projects, but it is combined with social-historical, cultural-historical, and legal-historical perspectives. As an amanuensis, you will work with several different projects during your employment. You will sometimes work independently on your tasks, and sometimes together with other project members. Therefore, it is important that you can both work independently and collaborate with others.

Qualifications

Eligible for employment as an amanuensis is the person who is actively pursuing studies at the undergraduate or advanced level at the current faculty and who has not yet received their degree.

The requirements for the position are that you:

• Are admitted to and will study a program at the Faculty of Humanities and Theology during the autumn term 2026 and spring term 2027.
• Have completed studies of at least 60 credits in history.
• Have very good knowledge of Swedish, in speech and writing.
• Have good knowledge of English, in speech and writing.
• Have the ability to work independently and in a structured manner.
• Have good collaboration skills.

Merits for the position include:

• Having pursued or currently pursuing studies at the bachelor's or master's program in history.
• Having an interest in HEIRS' research themes, i.e., household and family relations, property, and inheritance from a historical perspective.
• Having documented experience in deciphering handwritten source material (e.g., courses in paleography or experience working with manuscripts in other ways).
• Having experience working with quantitative data collection and analysis.
• Having experience working with databases, especially in Excel.
• Having experience in genealogical research or personal history research.
• Having experience working within a research project, for example through previous experiences as an intern, assistant services, or similar.

Other

The employment is fixed-term for 10 months with a planned start date of 2026-09-15 or as agreed. The position is for 20 percent of full-time employment. The employment must not negatively affect the amanuensis's studies and cannot be combined with other employments. Regulations concerning educational employment as an amanuensis are found in the Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 2017:284), Chapter 5, Sections 8-12.