Postdoctoral position in the Social Sciences

Title of post: Postdoctoral position in the Social Sciences (quantitative research) in the European Research Council (ERC) project WE-COOP on labour, gender, and democracy

Type of contract: Fixed term contract (35h/week)

Category (A, B or C) :

Contract period: 12 months (6-month extension possible)

Expected date of employment: 15 March 2024 (flexible)

Workplace: SAGE Laboratory (UMR 7363), University of Strasbourg, France

Desired level of education: PhD

Experience required:

Contact(s) for information on the position: Dr. Ada Reichhart, Principal Investigator, [email protected]

The WE-COOP project shifts our traditional androcentric perspective on workplace democracy by investigating the labour experiences of women in worker cooperatives. Studied for their high potential in the democratisation of labour relations, worker cooperatives have been systematically considered only from the perspective of class struggles. WE-COOP excavates how and why worker cooperatives are also a locus where yet unexplored sets of representations, practices and justifications pertaining to women’s emancipation and gender equality at work are produced.

Focusing on France as a case study, the project relies on a multi-layered survey of worker cooperatives as well as on rare forms of all-women cooperative experiments. It combines quantitative and qualitative methods with innovative participatory research in four incremental steps, allowing for the appropriation by women workers of their narratives and struggles.

Hired on a full-time basis (35 hours/week), the postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for carrying out an ambitious and unprecedented quantitative survey as part of phase 1 of the WE-COOP project. The aim of the survey is to map out for the first time the working experience of women in worker cooperatives in France, with the help of a targeted participation campaign.

The main task will be to help draft a questionnaire, distribute it as part of a participatory research protocol and produce a usable database in collaboration with the WE-COOP team's research assistant. The postdoctoral researcher will also be responsible for drafting the scientific section of the short report destined to the target population.

She/he will be able to contribute to the project’s publications as co-author/author, and to carry out her/his own research activities in relation to the main topics of the WE-COOP project.

• Qualifications / knowledge/operational skills:

- PhD in the social sciences, in a discipline closely related to the project (sociology, political science, etc.); economics.

- Proven experience and skills in developing questionnaires.

- Excellent command of methods and tools for processing and analysing quantitative data in the social sciences and humanities.

- Proven experience and skills in database management.

- A strong interest in or experience of research into themes related to the project is desirable: gender studies; work and gender inequalities; intersectional studies of power relations at work; feminist political theories; social critique of work; democratic work; democracy and participation; critical theories; social and solidarity economy.

- Interest/specialisation in participatory research.

- Ability to work independently and contribute to the project as part of a team.

• Disciplines:

Social Sciences, in particular sociology, political science; economics.

The research assistant will be part of the SAGE laboratory (Sociétés, Acteurs, Gouvernement en Europe; UMR 7363) at the prestigious University of Strasbourg, renowned for the quality of its research and its international scope. An office space will be provided at the MISHA (Maison Interuniversitaire des Sciences de l'Homme d'Alsace) on the Esplanade campus situated in the city, with the possibility of working remotely some days of the week depending on personal circumstances.

She/he will be part of a supportive team, committed to professional development and intellectual discovery, and will have the opportunity to advance her/his own research career as part of this prestigious international research project.

She/he will benefit from the support of the project's PI, collaborators, and network to develop her/his academic skills and career.

She/he will benefit from additional dedicated funding for her/his research dissemination activities and participation in international scientific events.

• Specific occupational conditions:

Physical conditions

• Prolonged screen work

Other conditions

• Interaction with different interlocutors.
• Handling of confidential information.
• Shared office.

English and French: Good oral and written communication skills for academic research (C1 level for both languages).

Additional languages are welcome.