Department of African Diaspora Studies (Tenure Track, Start Fall 2027)
GRINNELL COLLEGE. The Department of African Diaspora Studies invites applications for a tenure-track appointment beginning Fall 2027. Rank open, but Assistant Professor/Associate Professor preferred. We seek an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scholar grounded in Critical Black Studies and/or Africana Studies, whose work centers Black lives and worldmaking by exploring the experiences, histories, ideas, and creativity of people of African descent across the globe. Preferred research and teaching interests include, but are not limited to: environmental studies, Black ecologies, and climate justice; animal studies and the critique of species and racial hierarchies; film, media, and visual cultures; racial capitalism; Black political thought and the study of social movements; and race, technology, and the digital—including Black digital humanities and Afrofuturism.
This position is the first of two tenure-track lines envisioned at the department’s founding alongside an inaugural endowed chair—part of a deliberate plan to build a core of colleagues with full-time appointments alongside other partial appointments and affiliate faculty in ADS. The successful candidate brings an eagerness to build a department while joining a growing intellectual community committed to developing scholars and anchored by an endowed chair, a steering committee, the Black Cultural Center and Black Women’s Library, and a developing slate of programming, including on-campus community building events, visiting speakers, and a Scholar/Artist in Residence. Additional information about our curriculum and growing number of faculty affiliates can be found at the Department of African Diaspora Studies website.
Grinnell College is a highly selective undergraduate liberal arts college with a strong tradition of social responsibility. In letters of application, candidates should discuss their potential to contribute to a college community that maintains a diversity of people and perspectives as one of its core values. To be assured of full consideration, all application materials should be received by September 15, 2026. Please visit our application website at https://jobs.grinnell.edu to find more details about the job and submit applications online. Candidates will need to upload a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a 2-page teaching statement, transcripts (copies are acceptable), and provide email addresses for three references. Questions about this search should be directed to the search chair, Professor John Thabiti Willis, at [email protected] or 641-269-4803.
Grinnell College is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory educational environment for all College community members. It is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in matters of admission, employment, and housing, and in access to and participation in its education programs, services, and activities. The college does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, religion, disability, creed, or any other protected class.
An offer for this position will be contingent on successful completion of a background check.
