PhD-Student in Gender Studies

Lund University, Faculty of Social Sciences

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has around 44 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

The division of Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary division within a larger unit together with Sociology and Social Anthropology, located at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The division is a well-developed research environment with clear roots in feminist, queer and trans, as well as post/decolonial theories and methodologies. Researchers in the division are prominent in developing and problematizing different understandings of gender and gender relations and have a long tradition of exploring gender and sexuality from a critical, intersectional, postcolonial and interdisciplinary perspective in global and local contexts.

We are now recruiting a PhD-student in Gender Studies for conducting research within the frames of the project Gender Struggles in the New Conjuncture.

Work description:

The research program Gender Struggles in the New Conjuncture investigates contemporary gender struggles in Europe, analyzing how feminist and LGBTQ+ mobilizations interact with rising anti-gender movements. At a time of democratic decline, the project aims to understand the tactics, agendas, and social visions shaping these movements and their impact on human rights, democracy, and civil society. As PhD-student, you will be conducting independent research on the topic within an interdisciplinary team, and explore gender struggles both online and offline.

The PhD programme in Gender Studies runs full time and the PhD-student will pursue the requirements of the PhD degree and actively participate in the activities in the department of Sociology at large, and in particular in the division of Gender Studies. The position as a PhD student is a four-year full time employment. There may be an opportunity for gaining practical experience of teaching or other departmental work of up to 20%, which may lengthen the overall duration of the position to maximum five years.

The division of Gender Studies has a well-established tradition of working within the academic traditions and intellectual trajectories of gender studies scholarship by connecting highly developed theoretical frames with solid, rich and reflective empirical analysis with strengths in intersectional perspectives on gender and sexuality and feminist methodologies. Read more about about our research themes here: https://www.gender.lu.se/research-0/our-research

The call is open for applications anchored in one or more of these themes of research.

As PhD Student, you will be included in the overarching research project Gender Struggles in the New Conjuncture. Gender, Sexuality and the Future of Human Rights in the 21st Century, funded by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. We welcome research proposals that set out to analyze both feminist/LGBTQ+ initiatives and anti-gender movements, situated in Western, Southern, Central, Northern and/or Eastern Europe, and/or in transnational contexts. This requires advanced knowledge of the socio-political contexts and at least one of the languages in respective region.

The aim of the overarching research project is to examine how struggles over gender and sexuality shape contemporary political and social landscapes in Europe. The project investigates both feminist and LGBTQ+ movements struggling for expanded rights and anti-gender movements opposing these advancements. By analyzing their tactics, agendas, and social visions, the project seeks to understand how these opposing forces reshape democratic values and human rights. Ultimately, the research will provide new insight into the emergence of new normative foundations for society in the wake of today’s divergent mobilizations. We are now inviting applications for one position as PhD-student, appointed to conduct research within the project, individually as well as in collaboration with the research team. We seek to recruit a PhD-student with a motivation to conduct high quality research and with previous knowledge of ethnographic fieldwork or digital network analysis, and advanced knowledge of the languages and socio-political contexts of Western, Southern, Central, Northern and/or Eastern Europe.

Find more information about the project here: Gender Struggles in the New Conjuncture

For more information about the PhD-program: https://www.gender.lu.se/research-0/doctoral-studies

Eligibility:

Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who have completed a second-cycle degree, have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad. Special eligibility for admission to postgraduate education in Gender Studies is completed course requirements of at least 30 credits in Gender Studies at advanced level, of which at least 15 credits consist of graduate work at advanced level or equivalent knowledge acquired within or outside the country.

Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to being devoted to your studies, when appointed a doctoral studentship, you may also be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Doctoral student employment is regulated by the Higher Education Ordinance 

Application process:

 The application must contain:

- Research plan, presenting the proposed area of research (max 5 pages excluding references).

- Personal letter, CV and diploma.

- Contact information from two references.

- MA-thesis or equivalent

- Essays/other publications possibly other qualifications relevant to the employment.

Please note that incomplete applications will not be processed.

Assessment

The most important basis for assessment is the ability and potential in conducting qualified research. The applicant shall have a graduate degree (MA, MSc etc.) in Gender Studies or equivalent, and previous knowledge of ethnographic fieldwork or digital network analysis, and advanced knowledge of the languages and socio-political contexts of Western, Southern, Central, Northern or Eastern Europe. Advanced knowledge of at least one of the languages in the region where the research is going to be situated is a required skill for being able to conduct the research. 

Type of employment:

Temporary employment, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§