Postdoc in the Reception of South Asian Religions in the Nordic Countries - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Purpose of the post

The reception of South Asian religions has a long history in the Nordic countries, from the East India Company and colonial accounts to present-day interest in New Age practices. While the academic study of e.g. Buddhism and Hinduism developed in the 1800s and 1900s, missionary movements and esoteric currents such as spiritualism, theosophy and anthroposophy added to the images of South Asian religions that circulated in different segments of Nordic society.

The aim of this postdoc position is to focus on the reception of South Asian religions in Scandinavia during the period c. 1850–1950 and how religious traditions, ideas and practices were interpreted, used and (re)formulated in and for a Nordic context.

Duties

The successful candidate is expected to conduct research and to contribute to the research environment at the CTR through active participation in research seminars and other research-related activities (such as organising workshops and seminars and helping to produce research applications). The postdoc is also expected to participate in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. These duties require the successful candidate to have a high attendance rate at the workplace. Teaching, supervision and other administrative duties comprise a maximum of 20 % of the position.

Qualifications

The candidate must have been awarded 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.

Special additional qualifications

• Considerable knowledge of South Asian/Asian religions that is documented through a degree, a thesis and a list of publications.
• Previous research and documented knowledge about the reception of religion in a foreign context, preferably with a focus on South Asian/Asian religions.
• Documented ability of participating in interdisciplinary and international research collaborations.

The application must be written in English and include:

• A signed complete CV and attested copy of the Ph.D. degree.
• A list of publications (including DOI, ISBN or 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 qualifications and competence 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 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).