Doctoral Research Fellowships in Religion and Politics in University of Oslo

Published by Ivona

Deadline: 3 April 2018
Open to: international applicants
Fellowship: salary level is around 45.68 EUR – 51.33 EUR depending on qualifications

Description

Applications are invited for a 3-year position in a Research Fellowship as Ph.D. Candidate in religion and politics to be based at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.

Religion and Politics (RelPol) is a multi-disciplinary research initiative with participants from across the department, including the study of religion, cultural history and the Middle East and Asia area studies. The RelPol initiative asserts that in our increasingly globalized world the domains of religion and politics are mutually constitutive and shape each other in ever-novel ways. The RelPol focus is on the interface of religion and politics. The research group combines a range of methodological and theoretical approaches with language skills and contextually grounded knowledge to shed new light on acute and complex religio-political issues.

The two fellowships will be affiliated with either one of the two following projects within the RelPol research initiative.

  • Mobile Muslims/Invisible Islam (MM/II) conducts non-normative, empirically driven, comparative analysis of how Islam takes shape in Europe, with emphasis on discreet social dynamics and inter- and intra-religious complexities in different political settings [lenke]. The successful candidate will design a study on individual, inconspicuous and fluid forms of religiosity among self-identified Muslims in Scandinavia, southwest Europe or the Balkans.
  • Stories of Heritage addresses the cultural dynamics of re-storied landscapes. The successful candidate will design a study on the impact of religious heritage on local, national and/or European identities and politics. The focus of the study should be on narratives and vernacular storytelling connected to specific rural sites and regions.

The successful candidate is expected to join and contribute to the project group and to the network and activities of the wider RelPol initiative.

The appointment is for a duration of three years. All Ph.D. Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant.

Eligibility

  • For applications with affiliation to MM/II, a master’s degree or equivalent in comparative religion, history of religion, the study of religion or other disciplines relevant for the project;
  • For applications with affiliation to Stories of Heritage, a master’s degree or equivalent in cultural history, ethnology, folklore studies, the study of religion, or other disciplines relevant for the project;
  • The master’s degree must have been obtained by the time of application;
  • Relevant language skills;
  • Personal suitability and motivation for the position;

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

  • The project’s scholarly merit and innovation;
  • The applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame;
  • The applicant’s ability to complete research training;
  • Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities;

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

Fellowship

  • Salary level is around 45.68 EUR – 51.33EUR depending on qualifications;
  • Professionally stimulating working environment;
  • Attractive welfare benefits.

How to Apply?

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application, preferably in pdf format:

  • Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position;
  • Curriculum Vitae (complete list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications);
  • Transcript of records of master’s degree. Applicants with education from a foreign university are advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system;
  • Project description, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3–5 pages, see Template for project descriptions).

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Educational certificates, master theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview either at the University of Oslo or on Skype (or similar).

For more information please visit the official website.