Cyprus Critical History Archive

Project Title:

Cyprus Critical History Archive (part of the Multiperspectivity and

Intercultural Dialogue in Education

– MIDE II project)

Location

: Nicosia, Cyprus

Application Deadline

 Wednesday 29 February 2012

Languages:

Fluency in English, as well as native fluency in Greek or Turkish.

Status

: Consultancy

Background

The Cyprus Critical History Archive, a joint initiative of the Association for Historical

Dialogue and Research and the PRIO Cyprus Centre, aims to collect and catalogue

all available information on intercommunal relations and conflict-related violence in

Cyprus and to make this information available to researchers and to the public. The

archive aims to aid in building an accurate historical record that will serve as the

foundation for improved understanding and dialogue. The archive is housed at the

Home for Cooperation, located in the Ledra Palace area of the UN Buffer Zone.

About AHDR:

The Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) of

Cyprus was established in 2003. The AHDR contributes to the advancement of

historical understanding amongst the public and more specifically amongst children,

youth and educators by providing access to learning opportunities for individuals of

every ability and every ethnic, religious, cultural and social background, based on the

respect for diversity and the dialogue of ideas.

In November 2011, the AHDR initiated the new phase of the

Multiperspectivity and

Intercultural Dialogue in Education (MIDE)

project, funded by UNDP-ACT. In this

new initiative the AHDR will be building on the programs and activities initiated and

produced under phase I of the MIDE project. More specifically, the main priorities of

AHDR in the next phase of its work will be to:

- Further develop efforts to engage the general public on issues related to history

and history education in Cyprus as a means to promoting greater sensitivity to

the importance of multi-perspectivity.

- Engage key actors - specifically educators, young people, researchers and policy

makers - in AHDR educational, outreach and research programmes.

Along with this, the AHDR will continue to focus on and enhance its key

programmes:

- Capacity building for educators through

teacher training workshops

- Promotion and dissemination of

educational materials

- Facilitating and promoting

research through efforts such as the Cyprus

Critical History Archive and the Library

- Informing the development of new

policy approaches to history

education.

For more information about AHDR, please visit www.ahdr.info.

About the PRIO Cyprus Centre:

The PRIO Cyprus Centre is a unit of the Peace

Research Institute Oslo. Since its inception, the PRIO Cyprus Centre has been

committed to both research and dialogue. Its aim is to contribute to an informed

public debate on key issues relevant to an eventual settlement of the Cyprus

problem. The PCC has identified divisive histories as one of the key elements of the

conflict and in 2009 began a Critical Historical Studies initiative to explore ways to

address this problem. The Cyprus Critical History Archive will contribute to ongoing

work aimed at addressing divisive histories.

For more information about PCC, please visit www.prio.no/cyprus

Duties and Responsibilities

The AHDR wishes to develop a roster of Research Assistants to contribute to the

work of the CCHA. The Research Assistant will contribute to the effective

implementation of the next phase of the MIDE project as a member of the Cyprus

Critical History Archive Team. S/he will be responsible for working with the CCHA

team to upload information into the CCHA online database. Specifically, the work will

entail the following:



Reviewing the CCHA’s electronic collection of English, Greek and Turkish

language newspaper articles from the 1955 to 1964 period.



Cataloguing, processing and preparing each article to be uploaded into the

database with the relevant information (cropping, preparing abstracts in the

main languages, identifying tags, uploading into the database).

The work and renumeration will be structured according to the submission of

deliverables associated with the above.

This is a position offering the potential to grow and become engaged in further

aspects of the CCHA

 additional responsibilities may include:



Identifying additional archival material to be included in the CCHA.



Digitializing materials.



Preparing and participating in the implementation of additional projects

associated with the CCHA.



Preparing articles about the CCHA.



Contributing to outreach and visibility efforts of the CCHA.

Required Skills and Experience

Researchers should have the following qualifications:

1) Fluency in English, as well as native fluency in Greek or Turkish.

2)

An undergraduate degree or (preferably) a Master’s in history and/or social

sciences or a related discipline.

3) Research experience is essential, preferably involving archival research in history

or a history-related topic from different disciplines. Previous research experience

on any aspect of twentieth-century Cypriot history, and preferably either part of

the 1955-64 period, or any aspect of intercommunal relations, will be regarded

favourably.

4) A demonstrable knowledge of the 1955-64 period will be regarded favourably.

5) Familiarity with principles and practices of archiving and cataloguing.

6) Strong IT skills, preferably previous experience of operating and maintaining

databases.

7) Willingness and ability to engage in extended periods of detail-oriented data

entry.

8) Ability to collaborate and work as part of a team.

9) Experience and/or understanding of multicultural and bi-communal projects

related to the Cypriot context.

10) Ability to travel island wide.

Required Competencies

Planning and organizing:



Ability to prioritize own work plan and deliver assignments in a timely manner



Effective organizational skills and ability to allocate appropriate amount of time

and resources for completing work



Monitor and adjust plans and actions as necessary to ensure efficiency

Partner services:



Good interpersonal skills with positive attitude and focus



Ability to develop and maintain good partner relations and ability to work in a

multicultural, multi ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity

Communication:



Good communications, diplomacy and people skills



Ability to write and articulate verbally in a clear and concise manner and

demonstrated ability to share information on important developments in relation

to the work of the project

Display institutional commitment and direction

:



Work to promote the Association’s vision, mission, values and strategic goals



Commitment to civil society

Technology skills:



Sound computer skills; database experience; proficiency in Microsoft Office

(Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point); web skills a plus

Application Procedure

Applications should include:



An up to date CV



A cover letter specifying how the candidate plans to contribute to the successful

implementation of the project.

Candidates should send their applications and supporting documents, via email, to

ahdr.mide@gmail.com

Deadline for submission of applications is Wednesday 29 February 2012, 18:00hrs

local time.

For additional information, please email:

ahdr.mide@gmail.com and/or telephone:

+357 22445740 / +90 542 8506681