Postdoctoral position: History of Interwar Czechoslovakia

Postdoctoral position:
History of Interwar Czechoslovakia

The Department of History at the University of Basel, Switzerland, invites applications for a three-year postdoctoral position in a history project led by Dr. Fabian Baumann (principal investigator, PI), to be filled as of 1st August 2026 or by agreement. The project The Threatened Republic:
Treason, Disloyalty, and the Defense of Democracy in Interwar Czechoslovakia
, funded by a Starting Grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, explores the legal and political strategies that the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938) used to defend the state's integrity and “democratic-republican” system. Team members will research several case studies of anti-state movements and of state institutions charged with the defense of the system. Among the new states established in East Central Europe after World I, the First Czechoslovak Republic was both the most democratic and the most precarious.

Numerous domestic and external enemies contested the state's borders and its democratic constitution. As Czechoslovakia's government institutions tried to safeguard their republic against extremist movements, they occasionally employed highly repressive instruments, giving rise to the accusation that the state itself was undermining democracy. As such, the First Czechoslovak Republic exemplifies the dilemmas inherent in what political scientists, following Karl Loewenstein, have called militant democracy.

The project will examine the legal and political strategies used to safeguard the young democracy, with a particular focus on political trials. By examining how the state sought to protect itself while negotiating the fine line between legitimate dissent and disloyalty, the project will contribute the broader history of democracy and its discontents in a time and place characterized by extreme nationalism, authoritarian politics, and territorial revisionism.

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will contribute to the overall project through an autonomous study on the history of policing and/or surveillance in interwar Czechoslovakia, providing a crucial complement to the examination of political prosecution conducted by other team members. In their efforts to defend the state, the Czechoslovak government and judiciary relied heavily on the security apparatus to monitor the population and verify its loyalty.

Possible postdoctoral projects could focus on the institutional history of such organs as the police, gendarmerie, army, or border guard; on everyday practices of policing and surveillance; on cultural perceptions and representations of the security apparatus; or on international security cooperation.

• conduct independent research and complete either your first monograph or 2–3 peer‑reviewed articles (depending on your career stage);
• actively participate in advancing the project's overall research goals, participate in team meetings and the first‑year reading class, and collaborate closely with your team mates;
• help with administrative tasks, conference organization, communication tasks.

• take on a co‑mentoring role for the project's two doctoral students;
• teach one or two courses at the Department of History;
• communicate the results of your research to a broader audience (through blogs, podcasts, social media etc).

• You must hold a PhD (or equivalent) in History.
• You should have previously worked on the modern history of East Central Europe.
• You must be fluent in English, our team's working language, and have good working knowledge of Czech, the main administrative language of interwar Czechoslovakia. Additional relevant language proficiency, especially in German, is very welcome.
• You should be eager to participate in team work culture and contribute to the overall project goals.
• Finally, you are flexible to travel for the project, and you are able to be present in Basel in term time during the contract period.

• A fully funded postdoctoral position (3 years) at the History Department at the University of Basel, Switzerland.
• A motivated team that will support your ideas, research, and career in a stimulating, welcoming and multicultural environment.
• Salary and social benefits are provided according to Swiss standards and University of Basel rules.
• Generous travel funding for all team members is included in the project grant.

Please submit your complete application documents including a letter of motivation with a sketch of your planned research project, CV, relevant diplomas and PhD certificate, sample of writing (article, book chapter, or dissertation chapter), and the contact details of two referees.

• The Final date to receive applications is 5 February 2026
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• All applications must be submitted through the University of Basel employment portal.
• The expected starting date is 1st August 2026.