The University of Gothenburg tackles society's challenges with diverse knowledge. 56 000 students and 6 600 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract scientists and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.
The Department of Cultural Sciences offers third-cycle education in several disciplines: art history and visual studies, musicology, film studies, gender studies, ethnology, and cultural studies.
General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages. staff portal/doctoral student
The Graduate School The Future of Democracy: Cultural Analyses of Illiberal Populism in Times of Crises (FUDEM) is a multi-disciplinary environment where the collective of junior and senior researchers in cultural studies, ethnology, gender studies, and musicology are doing research on the variety of cultural forms in which illiberal populism reveals itself in times of crises. It is a collaboration between six Swedish universities. Find more information about the Graduate School here: https: // www. gu.se/en/cultural- sciences/doctoral-studies/the-future-of-democracy-cultural-analyses-of- illiberal-populism-in-times-of-crises-fudem.
We are announcing one doctoral position in Ethnology within the graduate school with employment at the Department of Cultural Sciences, University of Gothenburg.
Ethnology is a qualitative cultural science that places people at the center through the study of values and practice. Theoretically, the research is oriented toward how the past and history are reused, interpreted, and understood from contemporary societal contexts. Ethnological research highlights perspectives on power and conflict, as well as how individual cultural expressions are related to local and global social contexts. This draws attention to how values and attitudes are translated into cultural heritage practices.
The research environment encompasses a wide range of historical and contemporary perspectives on issues such as material culture, working life, consumption, memory production, narrativity, sustainability, rural-urban relations, class and gender, youth cultures and social movements. To be eligible for the doctoral position in Ethnology within the FUDEM Graduate School, the planned project must have a clear link to issues of illiberalism, populism and democracy from an ethnological/cultural analytical perspective. This may include forms of societal polarization such as populist movements' establishment of areas of conflict between 'elites' and 'common people', but also how illiberal populism in turn motivates various resistance movements.
Examples of relevant research areas could include (but are not limited to): the use of and mobilization around categories such as ‘history', ‘the people', or class, in the establishment of new political coalitions; every day and mediated forms of rumor spreading, "fake news" and contemporary urban legends; urban-rural tensions in terms of political problem formulation, for example regarding sustainability and energy policy. In line with the overall theme of the Graduate School, applications are also welcomed that provide ethnological perspectives on anti-gender movements, anti-migration policies, climate change denial or other phenomena that challenge democratic values and trust in established science.
Duties The PhD-candidate will conduct his/her PhD-studies within the subject area Ethnology with a focus on cultural analyses of illiberal populism in times of crises
The job assignments include project planning, data collection, processing and analysis of the material, publications of results, and presentations of preliminary results and conclusions at conferences. PhD students in the Graduate School will have double affiliation – with the Graduate School and with the Department of Cultural Sciences at the University of Gothenburg. Students are expected to take part in educational and research activities both within the Graduate School and the Department.
The PhD-program runs over four years of full time, and includes PhD-thesis research and writing, courses, and literature studies. To be awarded the degree Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), the PhD- candidate should write and orally defend a scientific PhD-thesis that is approved in a public defense (disputation) and pass the courses that are part of the PhD-program.
The Graduate School will offer a variety of obligatory and selective courses, workshops and seminars related to illiberal populism, theories of democracy from the perspective of humanities, and cultural analyses of crises. PhD students are expected to engage into organizing a scientific conference during the final stage of their education.
As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.
Eligibility To be eligible for the position, the applicant must meet both general and specific entry requirements. The general entry requirements for third-cycle (doctoral) programs are:
Admission to the third-cycle program in Ethnology also requires:
How to apply In order to apply for a doctoral position at the University of Gothenburg, you have to register an account in our online recruitment system.
The application shall be written in English or Swedish, and include:
The publications that cannot be attached to the application digitally should be sent in two exemplars to: Gunilla Zachau, Department of Cultural Sciences, P.O.Box 200, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden. Please mark PAR 2023/180 on the letter.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline. Closing date is March 27, 2023.
Assessment The ability to absorb a postgraduate education is crucial and the applicant must be able to prove this through documentation knowledge in ethnology, including scientific theory and methodology.
All written projects (including the research proposal) that are included with the application are evaluated based on the following quality criteria:
In addition to the above, the research proposal is also evaluated based on feasibility within the scope of a doctoral studentship.
Recruitment process Admission must, in addition to review of submitted merits, also include online interviews with selected candidates at the end of April. Selection, interview and assessment are carried out by a local recruitment group. The final decision is made by the head of department after suggestion from the group.
Employment Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.
Employment: Time limited employment (temporary), 4 years Extent: 100% Location: Department of Cultural Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg Starting date: 1 September 2023
The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.
For further information please contact For questions about our third-cycle studies please contact Associate Head of Depart. for Doctoral Studies, Catharina Thörn, [email protected] For questions about Graduate School, please contact Scientific Coordinator Olga Sasunkevich, [email protected] For questions about the employment procedure, contact Human Resources Officer Gunilla Zachau, [email protected]
Unions Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https: // www. gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply
Information for International Applicants Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: https: // www. gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services https: // www. movetogothenburg.com/
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
Salaries are set individually at the University.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.