Indigenous Heritage PhD | Mapuche Histories and Museum Collections

Indigenous Heritage PhD | Mapuche Histories and Museum Collections

Quick Decision

Recommendation: Strong but verify fit. This is a four-year, full-time salaried PhD focused on Mapuche histories. The advertised work is unusually specific: build an inventory of Mapuche objects in European museum collections; work with Mapuche partners to select relevant objects; combine historical research and material-culture analysis; visit museums and archives; and conduct fieldwork in Europe and Chile. It is best aligned with a completed Master’s in archaeology, anthropology or a related field, prior museum-collections research, demonstrable collaborative research with Indigenous communities, and very good Spanish. Material-culture analysis, Mapudungun and knowledge of southern Chile are advantages, not prerequisites. The clearest constraint is that community priorities and permissions may limit which objects can be studied, including non-invasive study. Apply by 1 January 2027 if the language and collaboration requirements are met; before applying, ask the named supervisors what project partnerships and access plans are already in place. Official vacancy · Project launch account

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

What Is Unsolved and Why It Matters

The wider Vici project, Making History in Indigenous South America (1500–2025): A Multi-Method Approach, asks how Indigenous histories can be researched by bringing scholarly and Indigenous knowledge together on equal terms. It spans Tupinambá communities in Brazil and Mapuche communities in Chile; this vacancy is specifically the Mapuche-history work package. The project announcement frames the stakes around both the effects of colonial encounters and Indigenous agency, resilience and continuity. The advertised work does not specify the final dissertation period, research questions or a fixed collection. The umbrella title’s 1500–2025 dates should therefore not be treated as the confirmed chronology of this individual PhD. Vacancy · Vici project announcement

Work, Methods, and Potential Outputs

The advert lays out a sequence of work rather than a preselected case study:

1. Build and maintain working relationships with Mapuche communities and research partners in Chile, taking their perspectives and priorities as the starting point.
2. Develop an inventory of Mapuche objects in European museum collections, then select relevant objects collaboratively.
3. Combine historical research and material-culture studies with specialists and community partners.
4. Visit museums and archives and conduct fieldwork in Europe and Chile.
5. Produce a dissertation and peer-reviewed papers, present at conferences and workshops, and contribute to the Vici group’s academic and public dissemination.

These are the advertised responsibilities; exact archives, cataloguing fields, analytical instruments, interview methods, periodization and object set are not disclosed. Related work suggests possible questions about collection histories, provenance, object biographies, museum categorization and present-day interpretation, but these remain research possibilities to develop with partners, not promised deliverables. Vacancy · Maciel on Mapuche museum practice · Françozo and Caromano on collection formation

Permission is a substantive research condition. The project’s public account says some objects may not be available for research, including non-invasive study, and that the project will not force access where permission is absent. An inventory task is therefore not a promise that every listed object can be examined, photographed or discussed publicly. The job page and project announcement do not name target museums, object counts, access agreements or the Mapuche organizations involved. Project launch account

Recent and Closely Relevant Research

• Lucas da Costa Maciel (2025; journal issue 2026), “Back to the Land.” Examines how Mapuche participation and relational practices reshaped the Mapuche Museum of Cañete, including challenges to ordinary assumptions about collections, care and repatriation. It is directly relevant to the named supervisor’s expertise and highlights why object access and community protocols matter. Cañete is a separate case, not an advertised target museum. Article
• Lucas da Costa Maciel (2022), Vidas em cativeiro. A thesis based on conversations about four sets of Mapuche things, examining collection formation and collaborative interpretation. It is a close topical precedent, but does not define this PhD’s object list. Repository record
• Steffens, Valenzuela Quintupil and Bayer (2026), Berlin Mapuche collections. Describes a cooperation project between the Ethnologisches Museum and Mapuche representatives on the present significance and interpretation of its collections. It is useful as a contemporary comparator; it does not establish Berlin as a Leiden partner or target collection. Article
• López-Garcés, Françozo and Indigenous co-authors (2024), Ka’apor scientific collections. Reflects on collaborative visits to Goeldi Museum collections, memory exercises and Ka’apor knowledge-making, with Indigenous collaborators named as co-authors. It demonstrates PI experience in collaborative collection work, while involving a distinct people and Brazilian setting. Repository record
• Françozo and Caromano (2023), Borys Malkin’s collecting network. Reconstructs collector routes, museum relationships and the circulation of Lowland South American collections. This can inform provenance-oriented historical work, but its geographic and object scope is different. Journal article
• Ignacio Helmke Miquel (2024), Mapuche kollon masks. Follows a collection of 15 masks through material form, social and ceremonial use, historical relations and museum reclassification. It is a recent Chilean material-culture example, not evidence that these masks are in the Leiden project inventory. Heritage research article

School, Programme and Field Context

The employer and academic host named in the vacancy is Leiden University’s Faculty of Archaeology, specifically the Department of Archaeological Heritage and Society. The position is intended to lead to a Leiden PhD in four years. The Leiden University PhD Regulations set the institutional doctoral framework; the advert does not name a partner institution as a degree-awarding body or describe a joint/double degree. Brazil and Chile appear as project collaboration locations, not as confirmed degree-awarding partners. Vacancy · Leiden PhD Regulations

The Faculty’s 2024 regulations say its Graduate School of Archaeology handles PhD admission, organizes training, tracks programme duration and supervision quality, and requires a primary supervisor plus at least one additional supervisor or co-supervisor. The advert names Prof. Dr M. Françozo and Dr L. Maciel, and says courses follow an individual training and supervision plan. This is a structured doctoral environment, although the specific course list and training allocation for this project are not supplied. Faculty regulations · Vacancy

The Faculty’s 2026–2028 strategic plan describes three departments, around 100 PhD candidates, and a broad archaeology research setting. It states that the Faculty has “steadily” ranked in QS’s top ten for archaeology. By contrast, QS lists Leiden at #=119 in the 2027 overall World University Rankings. QS’s 2026 Archaeology subject page was also checked, but its accessible text did not expose Leiden’s row; the top-ten subject claim is therefore attributed to the Faculty rather than independently verified here. The overall rank must not be read as a subject rank. Faculty strategic plan · QS overall profile · QS Archaeology 2026

The Museum, Collections and Society yearbook presents collections as sites and sources of knowledge production rather than neutral repositories. That broad field orientation fits this project’s stated combination of history, material culture and collaboration; it is not a current project syllabus. The Faculty plan mentions advanced facilities across archaeology, but the advertised work is primarily collections-, archive- and field-based, and no particular lab or specialist instrument is promised. MCS yearbook · Faculty plan

Supervisor and Lab Assessment

Mariana Françozo is the project PI and a Leiden professor in Museum, Collections and Society. Her profile describes research on Indigenous objects and knowledge in historical collections, collection circulation and collaborative research with contemporary Indigenous researchers and communities. Lucas da Costa Maciel is named as the second supervisor; his recent research on Mapuche museum collections and relational protocols is particularly close to this work package. His documented collaboration with the Kiñelmapu Koyawe Repatriation Commission should be treated as his research record, not as confirmation that the commission will partner on this PhD. Françozo profile · Maciel profile

The strongest research-environment signal is the combination of two named supervisors, the Vici team and recent work on Indigenous collections. No independent “lab” is named, and the advert does not list a museum consortium or Chilean institutional partner. The public launch account says partners in Brazil and Chile are part of the wider project, but their names and formal roles are not identified on the job page. The applicant should ask how often each supervisor will meet, how community partners set or approve research priorities, and how the Mapuche work package connects to the broader team. Vacancy · Project launch account

Field Outlook and Career Relevance

This field is active at the intersection of museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, Indigenous history, provenance research and heritage practice. Recent examples show a shift from recording objects as static holdings toward investigating their collection histories, present relationships, community interpretation and the limits of museum access. That is a field trend across these studies, not a claim that the PhD will produce repatriation, a new catalogue or any other specific output. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, CARE Principles and ICOM Code of Ethics can help frame questions about control, consent, appropriate use and source-community rights; none of the public project materials says that these frameworks are formally adopted as project policy. UN Declaration · CARE Principles · ICOM Code

Potential longer-term routes inferred from this training include museum and collection research, provenance/documentation, archives, heritage organizations, community-led cultural work, academic research and public interpretation. The labour evidence is broad: Eurostat reports 8.9 million people employed in the EU cultural sector in 2025, but its definition includes cultural-sector and cultural-occupation jobs beyond museums; the European Commission cites more than 300,000 direct cultural-heritage jobs in the EU. CHARTER’s 2024 work examines skills and training gaps across a wide heritage ecosystem. These figures establish a sizable adjacent sector, not vacancy volume or placement probability for a niche Indigenous heritage PhD. Eurostat · European Commission heritage policy · CHARTER skills report

Funding, Application, and Living Cost

The advertised appointment is 1.0 FTE / 38 hours per week, for four years in total: an initial one-year appointment followed by three years subject to positive evaluation. Gross monthly salary is €3,204–4,051 (P0–P3), plus an 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax facility, but eligibility and net pay depend on individual circumstances. The vacancy is part of an NWO-funded Vici project. When work permits, hybrid working within the Netherlands is available; the employer also provides a home-working allowance and laptop. This is an employment contract, not a scholarship, and the advert does not specify a project travel allowance. Official vacancy · Vici grant announcement

The University’s current student brochure estimates monthly expenses at €1,020–2,020, excluding tuition and including rent, daily expenses, transport, insurance, study materials and social activities. This is a student-budget guide, not an employee cost estimate or salary take-home calculation. The student housing guide warns that affordable accommodation is scarce and advises starting early; staff housing support may have different conditions and is not guaranteed by these student estimates. The vacancy does not state any tuition or registration fee for the employed PhD, nor how fieldwork travel will be funded. Student budget guide · Housing guide · Housing information

For nationals outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland, the Dutch IND describes a researcher residence route that can cover paid doctoral candidates if its requirements are met; the employer applies. This is a general route, not a determination of any applicant’s eligibility. IND researcher permit

Application: submit through Leiden’s online system by 1 January 2027. Provide one PDF with a motivation letter of at most two pages in 11- or 12-point font, a CV, and contact details for two referees; letters are not required at this stage. The letter should describe relevant experience and initial ideas for the project. The first interview round is expected online in the last week of January 2027. The anticipated start is April/May 2027, with a slightly later start possible. The advert gives a closing date but no closing time. Official vacancy

Applicant Fit and Preparation

Required Background and Skills

• Completed Master’s degree in Archaeology, Anthropology or a related field.
• Demonstrable ability and enthusiasm for collaborative research with Indigenous communities.
• Experience with museum-collections research.
• Very good Spanish; the advert calls this essential.
• Willingness to live in the Netherlands and travel/work abroad.

Preferred Experience and Suggested Preparation

The advert calls material-culture analysis an advantage, and also lists knowledge of or willingness to learn Mapudungun, plus knowledge of or lived experience in southern Chile. These are preferences, not required criteria. The available project information differs on whether time management, organization, communication and independent/teamwork skills are required or advantageous; confirm their status with the university. Official vacancy

For the application, use concrete evidence: a collections or archival research example; the role played in building a research relationship; Spanish-language research experience; and an example of adapting a method or question based on partner priorities. Keep initial project ideas provisional and show how they could change if access is declined. This is preparation advice, not an additional selection criterion. Rights and museum-ethics materials can inform questions about consent and data/image use, but they do not establish the project’s own policy. UN Declaration · CARE Principles · ICOM Code

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before Applying

• Confirm that Spanish experience supports field collaboration and archival work, and ask how language proficiency will be assessed.
• Check that the CV and letter show museum-collections research experience and genuine collaborative practice.
• Contact Prof. Françozo for research questions; ask what partner relationships and collection-scoping work are already under way.
• Submit before 1 January; the page does not state a closing time.

At Interview

• Which museums, collection inventories and Mapuche community/research partners are already involved, and which relationships will the candidate help develop?
• How are object access refusals handled, including when a community or custodian does not want non-invasive study, photography or publication?
• Who sets the research questions and approves the use of collection data/images and public outputs? What are the expectations for co-authorship, credit and compensation?
• What is a viable four-year scope if only a subset of objects can be accessed?
• How are supervisors and community collaborators involved in regular planning and review?

Before Accepting an Offer

• Confirm the expected Chile/Europe travel schedule, fieldwork budget, safety/insurance arrangements and research permit support.
• Ask HR about staff housing resources, relocation support, likely net pay/tax-facility eligibility and any registration costs.
• Clarify the first-year evaluation criteria and the process for extension to years two through four.
• Confirm which institutional body admits the candidate to the PhD and verify that the degree is awarded by Leiden University; no partner or joint degree is stated in the vacancy.

Evidence and Sources

Project, institution and supervision

• Leiden University vacancy
• Project launch and collaboration principles
• Vici grant announcement
• Mariana Françozo profile
• Lucas da Costa Maciel profile
• Faculty of Archaeology strategic plan 2026–2028
• Faculty of Archaeology Regulations 2024
• Leiden University PhD Regulations 2024
• QS Leiden overall profile and QS Archaeology 2026
• Museum, Collections and Society Yearbook 2021

Publications and field examples

• Maciel, “Back to the Land” (2025/2026)
• Maciel, Vidas em cativeiro (2022)
• Steffens, Valenzuela Quintupil and Bayer on Berlin Mapuche collections (2026)
• López-Garcés, Françozo and co-authors on Ka’apor scientific collections (2024)
• Françozo and Caromano on Borys Malkin’s collections (2023)
• Helmke on Mapuche kollon masks (2024)
• The Collaborative Museum, Berlin
• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, CARE Principles, and ICOM Code of Ethics

Funding, living costs and careers

• Leiden University student monthly-budget guide
• Leiden housing guide
• Leiden International Centre housing information
• Dutch IND researcher permit
• Eurostat cultural employment (2025)
• European Commission cultural heritage policy
• CHARTER cultural-heritage skills report (2024)