Postdoctoral position in Care and Climate Activism

The Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark, invites applications for a 24 monthspostdoctoral position to be filled by September 1.st 2023,or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position is for 24 months.

Job content

The postdoc will be a part of the Velux Foundation core group research project OIKOS. A Cultural Analysis of Care and Crisis in the 21st Century, headed by Professor Isak Winkel Holm (PI) and Associate Professor Solveig Gade (co-PI). Since collaboration is key to the OIKOS project, the postdoc should be willing to engage in activities of co-writing, co-teaching, co-organizing of events, etc. The candidate is also expected to take part in relevant activities at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, such as the Art & Earth research cluster (https://artsandculturalstudies.ku.dk/research/art-and-earth). For a brief presentation of OIKOS, see https://artsandculturalstudies.ku.dk/research/oikos.

The task of the postdoc project is to explore the role of care in contemporary climate activism, focusing on case studies such as Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, and People’s Marches (but the candidate may select other empirical cases). The focus should be on contemporary climate activism in the Nordic countries, but other geographical and historical perspectives are welcome, for instance comparing the case studies to climate activism in the global South and/or to older instances of Nordic activism. Given that the OIKOS project’s main methodological approach is cultural analysis, the postdoc project will strengthen the interdisciplinarity of the project by approaching care crisis and climate crisis adding methods such as field work, institutional analysis, and qualitative interviews. However, it is important that the postdoc project takes into consideration the aesthetic practices of the climate activist groups in question, for instance collaborative cultural production of statements, events, performances, media coverage, and ways of being together. Thus, the project will answer the following questions: How are practices of care conceptualized, performed, and represented inside and outside the activist groups? How does the awareness of the care crisis reframe the idea of action in climate activism? And how and to what extent can care practices be seen less as a precondition for than a crucial part of climate activism?

Qualification requirements

In order to be considered for the position applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding to what can be achieved as part of a successfully completed PhD within a relevant field (for instance, ethnography, anthropology, political science, philosophy, history, social psychology, or cultural studies). More specifically, it is crucial that the candidate can document earlier research on, at least, one of these subject matters: political activism, care work, and climate change. Furthermore, the candidate should document skills relevant for the analysis of the aesthetic practices of climate activism.

For further details about the qualification requirements for postdocs, please refer to the job structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2013: https://ufm.dk/en/legislation/prevailing-laws-and-regulations/education/files/job-structure-for-academic-staff-at-universities-2013.pdf

Application

Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format.

Please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page.

The application must be written in English and include the following enclosures:

• Application letter/cover letter (max 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae (with applicant’s e-mail & telephone number)
• Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, etc.).
• Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with *.
• Research plan, including a short description of previous research and a plan for the coming years that includes an account of how the applicant will contribute to the deliverables in the project description.
• Documentation of research dissemination, if any
• Publications. Applicants may choose a maximum of three publications for assessment. Publication dates must be clearly marked on the publication list. The publications selected must be uploaded as attachments and listed from 1 to 3.

Should any material submitted consist of work with named co-authors, or work that is otherwise the result of collective academic endeavours, the extent of the applicant’s contribution to the work must be clearly stipulated. The faculty may ask for a signed statement from the co-authors stipulating the extent and nature of each individual’s contribution.

Only material in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German and English can be expected to be assessed.

Appointment procedure

After the application deadline, the Head of Department selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointment Committee.  All applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Further information about the application procedure is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected] .  Please refer to ID number 211-1348/23-2I.

Salary and conditions of employment

Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 35,624.36 (EUR 4,800) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please read more here: https://ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/pension/

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH here: http://ism.ku.dk, http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/frontpage.htm and https://www.workindenmark.dk/ .

UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

The closing date for applications is 23:59 CET 1 March 2023

Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.