Postdoctoral fellow in the history of religions - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

About the research field: Religious Agency in East Asian Education from the Late 19th Century to Today

In East Asia, the importance of moral education reflects in the civil service examination system of Imperial China and surfaces in contemporary school subjects that cover citizenship and moral orientation. Recently established subjects such as “Life Education” offer students the opportunity to reflect and address issues related to their personal life orientation and provide religious groups with new opportunities for engagement. Yet this is not novel: Religious agents across East Asia, in particular Christians and Buddhists, have been and remain engaged in realizing, assisting, and influencing public education.

Over the next few years, Lund University will develop a research domain investigating what is distinctive about religious agency in education in East Asia. The outcome is intended to enrich our horizon of reflection with regard to current European developments where the increase of secular spaces, the fading of organized Christian belief, and the diversification of faith-based communities and practices are evident. Religious education in this context is going through profound changes and competing models of philosophical, ethical, and religious education are explored.

Work duties

The person appointed will participate in work aimed at surveying contemporary educational practices and historical events, as well as identifying key areas for further research study.

Teaching, supervision and other teaching-related duties may occur within the framework of the position but will account for no more than 20% of working hours. The employee is expected to contribute to the research environment through active participation in research seminars and other research-related activities at CTR (by, for example, organising workshops and seminars and taking part in research funding applications). The position is placed within the subject of history of religions at CTR and related to the aforementioned research domain at the department and the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies at Lund University. The duties require regular attendance at the workplace.

Required qualifications

Those qualified for appointment as a postdoc are those who have been awarded a doctoral degree or a foreign qualification deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree and who completed the degree no more than three years prior to the last date for applications. If the doctoral degree was awarded earlier, certificates of parental leave, illness or similar are to be submitted with the application. Applicants must be able to provide evidence of knowledge of Chinese and advanced English.

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria are the ability to develop and carry out high-quality research, and teaching skill. For appointments as a postdoc the principal consideration is to be research ability. As the basis for assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, the applicant is to attach a research plan for the research intended to be carried out within the role. Only those applicants whose research plans and previous work can strengthen the research environment will be considered for employment as a postdoc.

Specific qualifications of additional merit

• Doctoral degree in the history of religions/religious studies or other relevant research domain.
• Specialization in East Asian religions, primarily Chinese Buddhism or Chinese Christianity, documented by a degree, academic essay and/or publication in scientific journals.
• Knowledge of religious education in East Asia, documented by a degree, academic essay and/or publication in scientific journals.
• Very good skills in spoken and written Chinese, the ability to conduct interviews in Chinese and to read sources from the Republican era until today.

Conditions

The appointment is limited to two years and refers to full-time employment in accordance with the central collective agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow between the Swedish Agency for Government Employers and OFR/S, Saco-S, 19 November 2021.

Lund University is a public authority which means that you receive specific benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension. Read more on the University website about being an employee at Lund University Work at Lund University.

How to apply

The application is to include the following:

• curriculum vitae (CV) and a copy of doctoral degree certificate
• list of publications (including DOI, ISBN or ISSN number)
• a signed plan of no more than 1,500 words (excluding reading lists) for the research projects that the applicant intends to conduct during the period of employment.

 The research plan is to contain a description of:

• purpose and research questions
• theory and method
• relationship to international front-line research including that of the research domain’s most internationally important work
• timetable and expected results
• the applicant’s capacity and skills to carry out the project

NB: It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete according to the instructions above and that the entire application is received by the University no later than the last day for applications.