Assistant/Associate Professor - Francophone African literature/film and/or culture whose primary research focus lies south of the Maghreb - Department of French

The Department of French at the University of California, Berkeley invites applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of French or a tenured position as Associate Professor of French, focusing on Francophone African literature/film and/or culture, whose primary research focus lies south of the Maghreb. The expected start date of the position is July 1, 2026.

The position entails deep expertise in literary, film, and/or cultural studies related to non-Maghrebi African Francophone Studies, demonstrable either through formal study or publication record, and excellence in teaching. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses and graduate seminars for students with a range of disciplinary interests.

We welcome applicants whose research spans a variety of topics and approaches, including, but not limited to, African Diaspora Studies, Caribbean Studies, Film Studies, or Translation Studies.

About the Department:

In the Department of French at UC Berkeley, our dedicated and creative faculty shares a commitment to excellence in teaching, whether it is in an introductory French class, a specialized course for majors, a course on French literature in translation, or an advanced graduate seminar. We encourage independent and innovative thinking and research at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

For its undergraduate majors, minors, and graduate students, the department provides thorough coverage in all periods of both French and Francophone literatures and cultures. It combines this coverage with an array of related fields and topics - from literary history and theory to philosophy, to social and cultural theory, to historical and contemporary linguistics, to the study of gender and sexuality, critical race theory, colonial and post-colonial studies, historiography, visual arts and film, music, popular culture, and politics. We participate fully in the interdisciplinary emphasis that has traditionally distinguished study and research at Berkeley.

Many of our faculty members are affiliated with other programs in the University (with the Departments of Comparative Literature, Italian Studies, Film & Media, and Linguistics, with programs in Romance Languages and Literatures and in Medieval Studies, with Graduate Designated Emphases in Critical Theory; Digital Media; Women, Gender, and Sexuality; Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, and with the Berkeley Language Center, the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture and the Center for Race and Gender).

The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: https://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty.

Department: https://french.berkeley.edu/

PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Native or Near-native French language proficiency is required to conduct courses in French.

Evidence of ability to conduct top-quality research.

Evidence of excellence/distinction in teaching undergraduate courses and graduate seminars for students with a range of disciplinary interests.

Knowledge of another African language spoken in Francophone Africa (e.g., Wolof, Pulaar) is preferred, but not required.

• 3 required (contact information only)

Letters of recommendation will be requested for candidates who are under serious consideration at a later stage in the recruitment.

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with UC Regents Policy 4400 and University of California Academic Personnel policy (APM 210 1-d). These values are embedded in our Principles of Community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

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, or discrimination. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, applicants will only be subject to institutional reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on this website.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment