PhD Candidate in Philosophy of Law: Philosophical Foundations of Migration Law

Do you have or shortly expect to obtain a Master's degree in Law and do you have a special interest in the philosophy of law? Or do you have or shortly expect to obtain a Master's degree in Philosophy and do you have a special interest in law? If so, then you may be the PhD candidate Radboud University's Faculty of Law is looking for. You will be given the opportunity to conduct valuable research and prepare yourself for your next step in the academic world or professional field.

We are looking for a PhD candidate in Philosophy of Law in the area of the philosophical foundations of international migration law. As a PhD candidate, you will be expected to write your own research proposal in this field, and complete a doctoral thesis within four years.

The phenomenon of migration and the experience and perspective of the migrant prompt critical reflection on the fundamental principles of liberal democracy. The rights granted and protected by states are in important respects limited to their own citizens. At the same time, fundamental rights, understood as human rights, are considered universal. Pointing to the tension between state sovereignty and human rights, Hannah Arendt spoke of the ’paradox’ of human rights, which became particularly manifest in a world dominated by nation-states striving for the identity of state, people (or nation), and territory.

In contemporary philosophy of law, the theme of migration is often addressed in a normative manner, presupposing the perspective of the ’receiving’ state or political community. This approach carries the risk of tacitly reproducing the conceptual assumptions of the existing legal and policy consensus rather than making these assumptions explicit and examining them in a critical fashion.

As a PhD candidate, you are invited to develop a critical reconstruction and evaluation of these conceptual assumptions. In your research, you may focus on, for example:

• The conceptions of human life and humans living together on and in relation to a particular territory as they underlie and are disseminated by the contemporary legal-political (international) migration regime.
• The ways in which state sovereignty, popular sovereignty and/or territorial sovereignty are conceived in relation to each other and to human rights.
• The ways in which current conceptual distinctions, such as that between ’native’ citizens and migrants, voluntary and involuntary migration, regular and irregular migration, etc., are established and have an effect.
• The role of the idea of the nation-state and national identity in the regulation of migration in liberal democracies.

You will be encouraged not to limit your research to contemporary legal philosophy, but to also include the work of thinkers who reflected on this subject in other legal-political constellations than ours today. This may include thinkers from the history of Western legal philosophy, from Greek and Roman antiquity to the present, such as Hannah Arendt, as well as non-Western and/or decolonial perspectives.

Profile

• You have completed (or are close to completing) a Master’s degree in Law and/or Philosophy.
• You have a keen interest in legal and political-philosophical issues.
• You have good writing skills in English.
• You are motivated to develop yourself in the fields of philosophy and law over a period of four years.

We are

In its teaching and research, the Department of Philosophy of Law is concerned with the philosophical foundations of law and the ensuing broader legal-philosophical and political-philosophical questions.

The department participates in the Research Centre for State and Law (SteR) of the Faculty of Law. The centre aims to provide a stimulating environment for high-quality, internationally innovative legal and meta-legal research and to publicise its research results through authoritative publications, lectures, conferences and symposiums. The Department of Philosophy of Law consists of seven staff members.

Radboud University

At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

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Faculty of Law

The core tasks of the Faculty of Law at Radboud University are education and research. The academic education provided focuses on training all-round lawyers and delivering postgraduate courses for lawyers.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1,5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,226 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,720 in the fourth year (salary scale 10).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 daysof annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.