Assistant Professor - Colonial Latin America, Spanish & Portuguese - Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Position overview

Position title:

Assistant Professor

Salary range:
The current salary range for this position is $84,100-$132,900 (9-month academic year salary); however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start:
July 1, 2027

Open date:
August 31, 2026

Next review date:
Friday, Oct 23, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Final date:
Friday, Oct 23, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Colonial Latin American studies, focusing on literary, cultural and intellectual production.

The position entails broad competence in literary and/or cultural studies related to the Colonial world, including, but not limited to Indigenous cultural production, critical race theory, Blackness and African diaspora studies, transatlantic and transpacific studies, material and visual cultures, colonial archives and cartography, gender and sexuality, and comparative work between Latin America, Caribbean, and Luso-Brazilian contexts. The successful candidate will teach a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses.

The appointee will also advise undergraduates and graduates and supervise student research, develop a successful and original research program, and provide service contributions. The appointee will be expected to contribute to the department's diverse and inclusive community through their research, teaching, and/or service.

We are an open, collegial and inclusive department that supports all faculty to develop their strengths and interests. Department faculty participate actively in UC Berkeley's abundant interdisciplinary programs and initiatives, including the Program in Critical Theory, the Berkeley Center for New Media, the Townsend Center for the Humanities, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Gender and Women's Studies, among others.

All department faculty teach and mentor both graduate and undergraduate students and are given opportunities to teach courses on a wide variety of topics and approaches. Our programs are specially designed for highly motivated students with a passion for other languages, literatures and cultures, for imaginative approaches to these and for careful crossing of traditionally defined geographic, linguistic and disciplinary borders.

As a department, we deeply value multilingualism and international engagement, nonconformity to binary gender, and peoples and groups whose citizenship status or ethnic, racial and class background has been marginalized.

UC Berkeley values the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples, single parents, or those who may have taken time off for family reasons. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit the Office for Faculty Equity and Welfare's website.

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Basic qualifications (required at time of application):
Applicants for this position must hold a PhD (or equivalent international degree) or be enrolled in a PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start):
Native or near- native fluency in both Spanish and English. Candidates will have to teach in both Spanish and English.

Preferred qualifications:

Experience in interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and collaboration. Experience conducting research in Portuguese and/or Indigenous languages is welcome.

Document requirements:

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae - with a list of publications. Please indicate your level of fluency in both Spanish and English, including whether you have native or near-native proficiency in each.
• Research Statement
  - Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research.
• Teaching and Mentoring Statement
  - Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Please also discuss your mentoring experiences and approach. This can include, for example, past efforts and future plans to support the success of all students, and to foster an inclusive research environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access and advancement of the research program.
• Service Statement
  - Please discuss specific prior (if any) and proposed academic,…