Postdoctor in the Project ProTest

Protest as a Democracy Test: Protest Culture under Transformation and as a Transformative Power (ProTest)

The postdoctoral researcher will work in the research project Protest as a Democracy Test: Protest Culture under Transformation and as a Transformative Power (ProTest), funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union’s key funding programme for research and innovation. The project consists of researchers from Lund University, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (Spain), National School of Political Studies and Public Administration (Romania), Center for Social Sciences (Georgia), Centro de Estudos Sociais (Portugal), Forschungsstelle Osteuropa (Germany), Universita di Bologna (Italy), Cornvinus University of Budapest (Hungary), and Instytut Filozofii I Socjologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk (Poland).

The project aims to analyze the context, the state of the art and the potential trajectories of protest politics and culture as affected by the current trend of global de-democratization, focusing on the countries of the European Union (EU) and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in a comparative perspective. The overarching aim of our research is twofold: (1) we analyze whether and how the ongoing de-democratization processes affect the patterns of protest culture and how these effects vary according to different countries’ quality of democracy; (2) we trace whether and how the affected patterns of protest culture influence the state of democracy in these countries, by focusing on representation as an inclusion of citizens’ preferences in the political agenda.

For a full project description, contact michael.molavi@soclaw.lu.se

Duties

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the theoretical, methodological, and interdisciplinary study of protest culture in comparative perspective. The postdoctoral researcher will be carrying out fieldwork and other related duties chiefly in the Swedish context and contribute to various project activities and outputs, including publishing findings in international journals and an edited volume, participating in workshops and other similar events, and presenting key findings at international conferences.

The postdoctoral position is planned to commence on 1 March 2025.  

Qualifications

Applicants must have obtained a PhD degree in the social sciences, preferably in sociology of law, criminology, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, human geography, or political science.

This position is intended for a junior researcher with an emphasis on candidates who have completed their PhD no more than three years prior to the expected start date.

Assessment criteria

The research profile of the applicant, the quality of the PhD dissertation, as well published or forthcoming articles in sociology of law or related disciplines in the social sciences, play an important role in assessing suitability.

Good collaboration and communication skills are required, as is written and oral proficiency in English and Swedish.

The application must contain:

A cover letter in English of maximum 1 000 words, which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in working on the ProTest project and in a postdoctoral position at the Department of Sociology of Law at Lund University. Your PhD dissertation and other publications in a Scandinavian language or in English. If the PhD dissertation or other publication are written in a language other than Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English, a summary of maximum 1,000 words is attached, including method, theory, analysis and results. A CV in English or a Scandinavian language that demonstrates your qualifications for a postdoctoral position. Degree and grade certificates in a Scandinavian language or in English. Name and contact details of two reference persons. Other documentation of relevance for the position.

Assessment of applicants is done on the above points and the top-ranking will be called for interview.

Terms

Fixed-term employment of two years.

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