Postdoc in Christianity, Populism and Nationalism - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

About the subject

The research area “Christianity, Populism and Nationalism” covers questions related to the interchange, relations and overlapping between Christianity and the two political-ideological phenomena of populism and nationalism in the past as well as the present.

Christianity has a close, complex and multifaceted relationship to nationalism as well as political populism. While the origins of nationalism and the role of Christianity in the emergence of nationalism are debated, there is and has been significant ideological interchange between the two. In a similar way, political populism interacts with Christianity: populist movements draw on Christian identity, and Christian symbols and narratives are laid claim to in the rhetoric of populist movements. Both nationalism and political populism have mostly been studied by political scientists, sociologists and historians, which means that the theological and religious studies side of the topic has remained a less charted terrain. This post-doctoral position addresses this research gap.

The position is interdisciplinary and relates to research that is today conducted in several disciplines at the CTR. Research proposals pertaining to any of these disciplines are welcome, and there is no specific geographical, cultural or denominational focus assigned to the position.

Duties

The employed person is expected to contribute to the research environment through active participation in research seminars and other research-related activities at the CTR (e.g. organising workshops and seminars, and contributing to the development of research applications). The postdoctoral fellow is also expected to take part in teaching at B.A. and master’s levels. These tasks require the postdoctoral fellow to have a high level of presence at the workplace. Teaching, supervision, and other administrative tasks comprise a maximum of 20% of the position.

Qualifications

The candidate must have been awarded a Th.D., a Ph.D. or an international degree deemed equivalent not more than three years before the application deadline. If the degree was awarded earlier, the candidate must provide certificates of parental leave, illness or similar reasons for leave in the application. Applicants must be able to document advanced proficiency in English and sufficient proficiency in languages relevant to the proposed research project.

Assessment criteria

The grounds for assessment are a good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research, and teaching skills. The main criterion for a postdoctoral fellowship is research expertise. In all other respects, the assessment will be based on the requirements specified for the post. As documentation for the assessment of qualifications, applicants are to submit a project plan of the research they intend to carry out during their appointment.

Specific additional qualifications

• Significant knowledge of Christian theology, practice and history documented by a degree, an academic thesis and/or publications.
• Significant knowledge of political studies or related fields documented by a degree, an academic thesis and/or publications.
• Previous research on Christianity and populism and/or nationalism.
• Documented skills in interdisciplinary and international research cooperation.

The application must include:

• A signed complete CV and attested copy of the Ph.D./Th.D. degree.
• A list of publications (including ISBN and ISSN numbers).
• A signed plan of no more than 1500 words (not including list of references) of the research project the candidate intends to pursue during the fellowship.

The research plan is to contain a description of:

• Aim and research question.
• Theory and method.
• Relation to the international research front including the most important international work in the field of research.
• Schedule and expected results.
• The applicant’s capacity and expertise to conduct the project.

NB! The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions above, that all documents are scanned (as a single PDF file) and that the file has reached the University through the e-recruitment portal MyNetwork no later than the application deadline.

Conditions
The appointment is a fixed-term position for a maximum of two years and is full time in accordance with “Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoc” between labour market parties dated 4 September 2008 (Swedish Agency for Government Employers, OFRs, SACO-S and SEKO).