The Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine invites applications for a tenure-track or tenured Assistant/Associate Professor position in Black Studies. Geographic area and thematic research foci are open. We especially welcome applications from scholars whose research provides critical perspectives on racism, white supremacy, and racial capitalism by deploying intersectional Black theories and methodologies, such as, but not limited to, Black ecologies, Black queer and feminist theory, Black radicalism, embodiment, Black geographies, abolition, decolonization, Black liberation, African diaspora, and global Blackness.

The position is made possible by the UCI Black Thriving Initiative (BTI) Faculty Cluster Hiring Program, an effort to recruit cohorts of faculty across the campus who interrogate anti-blackness as an existential threat to the health and welfare of communities worldwide. The successful candidate will be expected to participate in BTI-sponsored collaborative multidisciplinary programs with their cohort of fellow hires as part of the Environmental Health Disparities cluster. This cluster will advance public and community engagement regarding environmental racism and health stressors that have historically and actively worked against Black well-being (see: https://sites.uci.edu/cehdr/jobs/).

We seek applicants whose research and teaching focus on areas that include, but are not limited to:

• Health ecologies (for instance: medical racism, reproductive justice, health disparities, genomics, environmental stress, or health systems)
• Ecologies and environments (for instance: environmental justice, climate impacts, toxicities, degradation, built environments, urbanisms, outer space, and multispecies studies)
• Indigenous studies (for instance: lifeworlds, land, heritage studies, dispossession, governance, and settler colonialism)
• Geographies and economies (for instance: food geographies, plantation economies, racialized space, diasporic politics, migration, labor, material culture).

This position will be housed 100% in the Department of Anthropology, which has a reputation for experimental, collaborative, and interdisciplinary methods, theoretical innovation, and social justice commitments.

A Ph.D. in anthropology or a cognate field is required at the time of appointment.
The position start date is July 1, 2023. In addition to a strong research agenda, applicants must demonstrate a commitment to teaching and mentoring a diverse body of graduate and undergraduate students. 

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UC Irvine conducts institutional reference checks for candidates finalists to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer of appointment into Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full). The institutional reference checks involve contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Irvine requires all candidates of Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full) to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into AP RECRUIT as part of their application. If the candidate does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Ladder Rank Professor or Professor of Teaching series, at all ranks (i.e., assistant, associate, and full) positions will be subject to institutional reference checks.

UCI is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. Applications from all qualified candidates, including women, underrepresented minorities, LGBTQ and gender non-binary persons, are welcome. In addition to competitive salary and attractive benefits packages, including a housing assistance program, the university also offers robust equity and inclusion programs, such as family-friendly policies and support for dual career couples. UCI is a federally recognized Asian American Native American Pacific Island Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Located on the ancestral and unceded land of the Tongva and Acjachemen Nations, our campus benefits from its geographic proximity to the Los Angeles/Long Beach metropolitan area, the Pacific Ocean, world-class arts and cultural centers, and some of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country.

Review of applications will begin October 1, 2022, with a final deadline for submission of November 1, 2022. Review will continue until the position is filled.

For questions concerning the search, please email the search committee at btianthsearch@uci.edu.

A Ph.D. in anthropology or a cognate field is required at the time of appointment.
The position start date is July 1, 2023. In addition to a strong research agenda, applicants must demonstrate a commitment to teaching and mentoring a diverse body of graduate and undergraduate students. 

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.