Postdoc in Ethnology within the ERC CONSPIRATIONS project - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace

The position is located at the Division of Ethnology, which is part of the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences. The Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences at Lund University is a multifaceted disciplinary environment for research and higher education, with around 90 employees and approximately 1700 students per year. The Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences runs several research environments and study programmes in the first, second and third cycles, distributed over nine divisions and two specialised centres.

The Division of Ethnology runs first-cycle education in Ethnology specialising in cultural analysis, second cycle education in the international Master’s degree programme in Applied Cultural Analysis, as well as short courses taught in English. The division also offers research studies in Ethnology. Ethnological research aims to understand and explain historical and contemporary societal phenomena from a cultural perspective. The studies focus on the practices of everyday life, on cultural encounters, power structures and norms. Besides developing cultural theory and ethnographic methodology, the ongoing research at the division can be summarised under three themes: Culture, Body and Health, Cultural Heritage and Use of History, and Cultural Identity.

As a postdoctoral researcher you will join the ERC CONSPIRATIONS research team. The working language within the project is English. The working language of Lund University is predominantly Swedish, but knowledge of Swedish in not a prerequisite for this position.

About the CONSPIRATIONS project

In recent years, conspiracy theories have become an important issue not only to the people who propagate them, but also to those who fear their consequences and design initiatives to push back against the ‘post-truth’ era. The objective of CONSPIRATIONS is to analyse this growing tension over conspiracy theories in Europe. The project proposes an innovative approach which moves beyond an exclusive focus on ‘truthers’ to examine the perspective of ‘truth defenders’ as well. This approach goes beyond the question of who is wrong and what to do about it. Instead, it offers a deeper understanding of the conflicts themselves, which are clearly of urgent importance for contemporary Europe.

The premise of this project is that the answer lies not in addressing the content of the conspiracy theories themselves, but rather the kinds of conditions that give rise to them. The secondary goal is to understand how these conflicts are influenced by social contexts, and how they unfold across diverse European settings. The objectives of this project will be achieved through ethnographic case studies.

CONSPIRATIONS is led by Dr Drazkiewicz. As a postdoctoral researcher you will have an opportunity to collaborate with her and other scholars working on conflicts over conspiracy theories in Sweden, Germany, Poland, Estonia and Bulgaria. More information about the project can be found here.

As a postdoctoral researcher you will be responsible for conducting research in Belgium and EU institutions.

Work duties and areas of responsibility

• You will be a part of the ERC CONSPIRATIONS project, where you will be specifically responsible for implementing a subproject on Belgium and contributing to the subproject on the EU institutions.
• You will conduct a multi-disciplinary literature review.
• You will conduct field research and collect and analyze data (this position might include long periods of fieldwork in Belgium and extensive travel).
• You will be responsible for presenting the findings of your work in (inter)national conferences.
• You will be expected to publish your research findings in academic outlets and contribute to joined publications.
• You will be responsible for coorganising academic events (conferences, workshops, seminars).
• You will be responsible for communicating research findings with non-academic audiences.
• You will be expected to collaborate with other CONSPIRATIONS researchers in accordance with the overall research plan.
• You will be expected to deliver research that fulfil the objectives of the ERC CONSPIRATIONS project.

Teaching, supervision, and other administrative duties comprise a maximum of 20 % of the position.

Required qualifications

Requirements for the position are:

• A completed doctoral degree or an international degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This requirement must be fulfilled no later than two months after the application deadline and the applicant is responsible for supplementing his/her application within this time with documentation that proves the completion of the doctoral degree. The supplement should be emailed to Elzbieta Drazkiewicz (email address found here). The position is a career development post, and its purpose is to act as an initial step on a career path. Therefore, the candidate most likely to come into question is one who has completed a doctoral degree no more than three years prior to the last date for applications. If special grounds exist, the degree can have been completed earlier. Special grounds include leave of absence because of illness, parental leave, positions as elected representative in trade union organizations, military service or service/assignments relevant to the subject area. In such cases, certification concerning this is to be submitted in connection with the application.
• Background in ethnology or other related discipline (for instance, social anthropology, cultural studies, sociology, human geography, political science, gender studies etc.).
• Advanced language skills that allow for conducting in-depth ethnographic research on site in Belgium and the EU institutions. Thus, the candidate should have a proficiency in French and/or Dutch, equivalent to CEFR level B2 or higher.
• Documented good proficiency in spoken and written English. As the candidate will be expected to publish in English-language outlets, proficiency in English equivalent to CEFR level C1 is required.
• Documented experience of publishing in English in academic journals (appropriate to career stage).
• A demonstrated ability to conduct ethnographic research and to use qualitative research methods.
• Ability to work independently as well as a part of a research team.

Specific qualifications of additional merit

• Demonstrable familiarity with research concerning conspiracy theories, disinformation, misinformation, rumours, and similar areas.
• Knowledge of Belgian conflicts surrounding conspiracy theories.
• Experience with digital research methods.

Assessment criteria

• Good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research.
• Teaching skills.

The main criterion for a postdoctoral fellowship is research expertise. 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. Only applicants whose research plan and previous work could strengthen the research team and the project as a whole will be considered for the position of postdoc.

Conditions

The appointment is limited to three 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. More information about being an employee at Lund University can be found here: Work at Lund University.

How to apply

The application, which is to be submitted in English, must include:

• A CV and copy of the Ph.D. degree.
• A list of publications (including DOI, ISBN or ISSN numbers).

A plan of no more than 1500 words (not including list of references) of the research project the candidate intends to pursue during the fellowship with the CONSPIRATIONS project.

The project should focus on conflicts over conspiracy theories in Belgium. It should be relevant to the CONSPIRATIONS project. The proposed subproject should align with CONSPIRATIONS objectives and research organisation. More information about the project can be found here.

The research plan is to contain a description of:
•    Aim and research question.
Focus should be on a specifically Belgian context. Describe how your project fits into the study of Belgian conflicts over conspiracy theories and struggles with disinformation. 
•    Theory and method.
Please note that the main methods in the CONSPIRATIONS project are qualitative. The researcher will be expected to use ethnographic research methods.
•    Relation to the international research front including the most important international work in the field of research.
•    Relationship with the CONSPIRATIONS project 
•    Schedule and expected results.
•    The applicant’s qualifications and competence to conduct the project.

Application instructions can also be found here: https://www.ht.lu.se/en/the-faculties/academic-vacancies/how-to-apply-for-a-postdoc-position-at-the-joint-faculties-of-humanity-and-theology/

N.B! The applicant is responsible for making sure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions above and for submitting it to the University by the application deadline through the recruitment portal.