Postdoctoral Researcher in Digital Mediations of Religious and Civilisational Narratives

ph3Study civilisational narratives in East African digital publics /h3 pDigital platforms have become important arenas in which competing accounts of political and moral order are articulated. Narratives of civilisational identity, anti-colonialism, sovereignty, multipolarity and traditional values circulate through international media and locally produced content. Yet their circulation does not tell us how East African audiences understand them. Users may selectively adopt or reject such claims according to their own political experiences. /p pWe are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to examine these processes of digital mediation. The project will investigate how journalists, influencers, religious actors, political commentators and social-media users receive civilisational narratives; how (moral) authority make particular claims persuasive or contestable; and how digital debate connects with offline institutions and practices. The research seeks thereby to foreground African agency. /p pYou will join IRInA, an interdisciplinary ERC Starting Grant project and collaborate with the principal investigator, a PhD researcher and another postdoctoral researcher while developing a clearly identifiable individual project. Uganda will be the principal case study, with the possibility of a focused comparison with another East African country. /p h3This is what you will be doing /h3 ul liDesign and conduct an original postdoctoral project on the reception, negotiation and rejection of civilisational narratives in East Africa, in consultation with the project leader; /li liUndertake digital ethnography, qualitative content analysis, interviews and fieldwork in Uganda and potentially in another selected East African country; /li liTrace selected narratives across platforms and between online communication and offline settings, paying attention to vernacular as well as English-language debate; /li liAnalyse how platform affordances, commercial incentives, political restrictions and intermediary actors shape narrative visibility and interpretation; /li liPublish at least three peer-reviewed academic outputs, including at least two single- or lead-authored journal articles, and contribute to comparative project publications; /li liPresent findings at international conferences and contribute to project workshops, research communication, responsible data management and team activities. /li /ul h3This is what we ask of you /h3 ul liA completed PhD, in media and communication studies, anthropology, African studies, religious studies, political science, sociology, international relations, or a related field; /li liDemonstrated expertise in East Africa and experience with qualitative research, preferably including digital ethnography, interviews, online discourse analysis or ethnographic fieldwork; /li liKnowledge of languages spoken in Uganda is a strong asset; Swahili or another language relevant to a proposed comparative case is an advantage; /li liAn excellent command of written and spoken English and a publication record appropriate to your career stage; /li liThe ability to develop an independent, feasible and ethically responsible research design, including careful handling of public and semi-public digital data; /li liWillingness to undertake fieldwork in Uganda and training in Paris, while contributing actively to the larger interdisciplinary project. /li /ul h3This is what we offer you /h3 ul liThe employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with two years. The preferred starting date is 1 February 2027; /li liDepending on relevant experience, the salary at the start of the employment is between 3.706,- and 5.760,- gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week. In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable; /li liExcellent possibilities for further professional development and education; /li liFunding and practical support for fieldwork, conference participation, research training within the project’s approved plans and budget; /li liAn inspiring academic and international work environment in the heart of Amsterdam. /li /ul h3This is where you'll be working /h3 pYou will be part of IRInA, an interdisciplinary ERC Starting Grant project led by Dr. Gulnaz Sibgatullina and based at the University of Amsterdam. IRInA studies how East African actors navigate a diversified landscape of international religious, political and development partnerships, and how religion participates in the negotiation of new visions of moral and global order. The research team combines historical, ethnographic and digital approaches and includes the principal investigator, a PhD researcher and two postdoctoral researchers. In addition to your direct colleagues within the team, you will join the vibrant community of researchers at ARTES (the Amsterdam School for Regional and Transnational Studies). /p pThe position is based in the department of History, European Studies and Religious Studies, capacity group European Studies (program group East European History supervised by Prof. Michael Kemper) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam. /p pHow do actors in East Africa receive, reshape, and contest civilisational narratives? Join our interdisciplinary research team to study how such narratives acquire local meaning across social media and public debate. /p h3Questions? /h3 pFor questions about the position or department, you can contact us during office hours at: Gulnaz Sibgatullina, /p pUniversitary Lecturer /p /p #J-18808-Ljbffr