Visiting Researcher, Centre for the World in the Viking Age (WIVA), Spring 2027

Uppsala Universitet · Full-time

Box 256, Uppsala, Sweden

We are seeking two to four international visiting researchers (International Visiting Researchers - IVR) who can contribute to deepening and broadening knowledge about global encounters, exchange of ideas, and material culture during the Iron Age and Viking Age, with connections to peoples in Scandinavia. The Department of Archaeology, Classical History and Conservation is a multidisciplinary department that conducts teaching and research in archaeology, osteology, ancient culture and society, Egyptology, Assyriology, conservation, and global environmental history. The department operates at both Uppsala, Campus Engelska parken and Visby, Campus Gotland, and offers six bachelor's programs, ten master's programs, and a large number of individual courses. The department has approximately 90 employees. About WIVA In June 2023, the Swedish Research Council established 15 national centres of excellence, initially funded for five years with the possibility of an additional five-year extension. Our group had the privilege of being awarded one of these generous grants to develop the centre 'The World in the Viking Age' (Centre for the World in the Viking Age (WIVA)), a collaborative and interdisciplinary meeting place for the study and dissemination of a period decisive for world history. The centre is led by Professor Neil Price, together with Associate Professors Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson and John Ljungkvist, and coordinator Rahaf Abu Shaer. During 2024-2026, we have employed five postdocs and twelve international visiting researchers, and it is now time to expand our team. Our Mission For centuries, the era known as the Viking Age (c.750-1050 CE) has been subject to historical manipulation and misuse that has filled it with one-dimensional stereotypes for political and other purposes. Today, it is more important than ever to emphasize that people in the Viking Age were individuals, just as varied and complex as we are ourselves. This focus on diversity, in all its aspects, forms the core of the WIVA centre, and our ambition is to reclaim a Viking Age that does not concern itself with our values: a pluralistic history as it truly was (though difficult to grasp), not as someone today might wish it to have been. The idea of a Nordic diaspora is not uncommon within Viking studies, but also requires deconstruction. Unlike the concept of the 'Viking world,' our focus instead lies on the world during the Viking Age as an arena for mutual interactions, contacts, and cultural feedback. By moving away from the Eurocentric view of a 'Western' and 'Eastern' Viking Age, we gain better opportunities to perceive the finer nuances of these Scandinavian cultural encounters. With the aim of exploring the full range of the world that the Viking Age northerners had contact with, geographical focus lies primarily on the so-called Silk Roads, where we can trace their activities in the early globalization networks that connected the Baltic with the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, Asia, and the eastern seas – regions where Scandinavians were in the minority and also at a disadvantage. We are now seeking two to four international visiting researchers (International Visiting Researchers - IVR) who can contribute to deepening and broadening knowledge about global encounters, exchange of ideas, and material culture during the Iron Age and Viking Age, with connections to peoples in Scandinavia. The selected researchers will spend three consecutive months in Uppsala during spring 2027. Specific dates will be determined in consultation with the individual researcher. Duties The format of these research visits is flexible. Some visiting researchers may write an article; some may work on a book; others may give a seminar or two, or public lectures; still others may simply participate in the conversations and discussions at the centre: the overall aim is to create opportunities for long-term contacts, productive exchanges of ideas, and future research collaborations. The WIVA centre is primarily focused on the Viking Age (defined c.750-1050 CE), but we also work within longer time frames and are open to research covering some part of the later Iron Age (c.400-1050). Primarily, we are interested in those who, in a broad sense, work on Scandinavian contacts and interactions with the so-called Silk Roads. Our main focus lies on land and sea contacts with Asia and with the northern and southern coasts of the Mediterranean. Since WIVA seeks genuine global perspectives, we welcome applications from researchers whose work is based in these regions. We are also open to research on other parts of the northerners' contact areas, particularly from a comparative perspective. Qualifications and Responsibilities Applicants must hold a doctoral degree, or a foreign equivalent degree, in a relevant discipline (archaeology, history, etc.). Since these positions aim to build international networks, it is of utmost importance to have an established international profile and to be able to demonstrate academic credentials from universities outside Sweden. About the Employment The positions are time-limited (SÄVA - Särskild visstidsanställning) for 3 months for each employment. The positions are full-time. Employment begins during the period January 1 to April 1, 2027. We strive for an even distribution of visiting researchers over the relevant time period. Place of work: Uppsala. For further details and questions about the position, please contact: Neil Price, [email protected], or Rahaf Abu Shaer, [email protected] Welcome to submit your application by September 28, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2360 Uppsala University is a broad research university with strong international standing. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all 7,500 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of the country's most exciting workplaces. Please note that this is a shortened version of the announcement. To see the complete announcement, please click "Apply here" or visit Uppsala University's website for job listings.