PhD Position in Sociology on "Contested Epistemologies of Sustainability"

Are you passionate about the topic of climate change and sustainability from a sociological perspective? Do you like to traverse and embed yourself in cultural worlds different from your own? Are you interested in ethnographic research and able to create your own independent research track in a larger research project? Then this position may be yours.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam is currently looking for a PhD candidate in the project “Contested Epistemologies of Sustainability”, led by Dr Catherine Wong and Dr Jaron Harambam. In this project, we examine how climate change and the foundational ways of knowing are contested in two radically different contexts: indigenous communities in South/Southeast Asia and conspiratorial communities in Europe. Both communities challenge hegemonic “Western” epistemologies of sustainability, albeit in their own specific ways. Your project will explore and compare both communities under this broad umbrella of contested epistemologies, but with plenty of room for your own ideas and innovation in who and what you would like to study. Here your creativity comes in and we like to foster that from the start. The overall goal of this project is twofold: to understand the resistance towards hegemonic climate change and sustainability discourses, and to learn from different epistemological and cultural standpoints that oppose them.

What are you going to do

For this four-year long fully funded position, you will perform a number of different tasks:

• design your own PhD research project within the theme of contested epistemologies of sustainability;
• conduct qualitative research / ethnographic fieldwork in indigenous communities in South/Southeast Asia and in conspiratorial communities in Europe;
• write academic articles with the two P.I.’s and independently;
• present your work to academic, professional and lay audiences;
• teach in our undergraduate (Bachelor) Sociology program (max. 10% of your time);
• assist with administrative and organizational tasks within the project;
• actively participate in the academic communities of the Program Group (Cultural Sociology), department (Sociology) and research school (AISSR).

What do you have to offer

Our ideal candidate is driven by their own curiosity to understand more about the world, without projecting their own worldview on others. We are looking for someone who is creative and ambitious yet down-to-earth. Being able to relate to different kinds of people is essential. You should be able to work in different locations across the world, while having your base in Amsterdam. We are looking for a hands-on person who can organize their own research projects independently and able to work in a team. Most importantly, we hope to find someone who has an open mind, who is willing to learn from others, able to think deeply about issues and who can surprise us with novel insights.

The following qualifications are essential:

• a Master’s degree or equivalent in Sociology, or in the adjacent Social Sciences such as Anthropology and Science & Technology Studies. The degree must have been obtained before the employment starting date;
• affinity and experience with doing ethnographic and/or qualitative research methods;
• interest in sustainability, climate change policy, politics, and epistemologies.
• excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

The following qualifications are desirable:

• affinity and experience with research on (the epistemologies of) indigenous communities in South-East Asia;
• affinity and experience with research on (the epistemologies of) conspiratorial communities in Europe.

What can we offer you

The position concerns temporary employment of 38 hours per week for a maximum term of four years. The initial employment is for one year and will preferably start on 1 September 2024. Following a positive assessment and barring altered circumstances, this term will be extended by a maximum of three years, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate. We will put together a curriculum which will also include the opportunity to attend training courses and both national and international events.

For this position the University Job Classification profile “Promovendus” applies. Your salary will be €2,770 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €3,539 in the final year, based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week and in keeping with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

About us

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.