PhD researcher / Junior lecturer in tourism and conflict studies

Do you hold a Master degree in development studies, anthropology, sociology, geography, politics or a related field? Do you have didactic qualities? And do you want to do innovative research on the intersection of tourism and conflict studies? Then you might be the junior lecturer/ PhD student we are looking for!

We are looking for
The Sociology of Development and Change group (SDC) is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic PhD student (60%) / junior lecturer (40%) working on the intersection of tourism, conservation and conflict/disaster studies (preferably in Southern or Central Africa, but other regions will be considered), with an interest in political ecology. The connections between tourism, conservation and conflict/disaster are manifold: tourism can aggravate or alleviate conflicts, including over natural resources, while, vice versa, conflict is often considered detrimental to tourism development. Whichever way one looks at these connections, they have been thoroughly upset over the last years by COVID-19 and are currently again being reshaped as the tourism industry is trying to regain lost ground. We believe it is important to critically study these dynamics, as they will help to share broader debates in political ecology, conflict studies, tourism studies. We are therefore keen to solicit ideas for research in these areas, whereby the precise empirical focus and topic of research can be chosen in collaboration with the supervisors.

The position will be for 6 years, whereby 60% of your time is reserved for PhD research, and 40 % for teaching (support). Teaching activities include the supervision of Bachelor theses and participation in courses around tourism, conservation, livelihoods and crisis and disaster studies.

Affinity and experience with qualitative and ethnographic research methods is welcome, as is experience with envisioning a multi-scalar research design.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• The (violent) histories of conservation/tourism spaces;
• Tourism development and the political ecology of memory;
• Extinction tourism in relation to disasters and conflict;
• Tourism in conservation and/or conflict-affected areas;
• Eco-war tourism (where tourism to war-affected regions is framed as contributing to the protection of the environment);
• Privatization, securitization and militarization of tourism and conservation.