Diarienr. /Ref no 242/1.6.1/2015
Södertörn University in south Stockholm is a dynamic institute of higher education with a unique profile and high academic standard. A large proportion of the university staff holds doctorates and there is a strong link between undergraduate education and research. Södertörn University has around 13 000 students and 840 employees. Södertörn University is an equal opportunities employer.
Call for applications:
One doctoral studentship in Gender Studies within the research area of Critical and Cultural Theory and the research project “Queer(y)ing Kinship in the Baltic Region”
Gender Studies at Södertörn University is an expansive, internationally well-connected field of research and teaching which seeks to advance new forms of interdisciplinary knowledge. Gender Studies offers interdisciplinary perspectives on the formation and transformation of gender and its intersections with other power structures, such as race, sexuality, class and nationality, but also science and technology. Our research focuses on developing feminist theories and methods, as well as on critical cultural studies of power and gender in various historical, geographical, political, social and cultural contexts. Strong research areas consist of memory culture, critical whiteness studies, critical femininity studies, science and technology studies (STS), cultural studies of (digital) media and games, reproductive technologies, kinship, citizenship and social movements. As of 2015, Gender Studies employs eight scholars with a PhD degree, including three full professors and one associate professor. For more information on Gender Studies, click here.
Critical and Cultural Theory is an interdisciplinary research environment and graduate school that focuses on a critically motivated study of cultural artifacts and practices. It awards PhD degrees in Aesthetics, Art History, Gender Studies, Media and Communication Studies, Philosophy, and the Theory of Practical Knowledge. Works of art, literary and philosophical texts, media technologies, and social and political practices are the focus of research. The researchers are united by the conviction that critically informed humanities are vital for the self-understanding and scrutiny needed to address the questions of the future in contemporary society. Through its close collaboration with the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) at Södertörn University, themes related to this geographical area constitute an important profile area. For more information on the research area Critical and Cultural Theory, click here.
Project description
The successful applicant will work within the framework of the project “Queer(y)ing Kinship in the Baltic Region”. This empirically based and theoretically driven project asks how non-heterosexual, or queer, families are made, represented and treated in several nations (Sweden, Finland and Poland) around the Baltic Sea and what this and the reproductive apparati they employ might teach us about the meaning and status of kinship, family making and ideas of the future more broadly. Through qualitative research, it aims to ask both how queer community and (gender) identity, (national) belonging and (cultural) heritage are understood, renegotiated and contested through (queer) kinship. For more information about the research project “Queer(y)ing Kinship in the Baltic Region”, click here.
The doctoral student will collect and analyse qualitative materials and write her/his thesis as part of the project focusing on the area of cultural politics of queer family making and the politics of ARTs (assisted reproductive technologies) in the Baltic Region. Specific ethnographic/empirical setting or materials are to be proposed by the candidate, but priority will be given to in-depth ethnographic accounts or other form of cultural analysis of queer kinship making in either an additional national setting or across several Baltic/Eastern European States. The transnational dimensions of queer kinship making, through for instance LGBTQ activism, reproductive travel and/or kinship practices in or across Baltic Sea states are of particular interest.
Entry requirements and selection criteria
General entry requirements
General entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes are met if the person has been awarded a second-cycle qualification; has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in Gender Studies at second-cycle level; or has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. If there are special grounds, the Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant.
Specific entry requirements
The specific entry requirements are fulfilled by a student who has knowledge equivalent to 90 credits in Gender Studies, including a degree project worth at least 15 credits at second-cycle level, or who has acquired the equivalent knowledge abroad or through previous studies. In exceptional circumstances, the Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the specific entry requirements for an individual applicant.
Selection criteria
The working language of the project is English and thus proficiency in English is required. Very good knowledge of the language required for the planned research site(s) is a precondition. Knowledge of Swedish is not required, but it is a merit in the selection process.
Knowledge of and experience in ethnographic methods and/or cultural analysis is considered a merit.
Applicants who meet the general and specific entry requirements, and score high on the selection criteria, will be interviewed.
For more details about the selection criteria, see the General syllabus for third-cycle programmes in Gender Studies.
Admission and employment
This notification of vacancies includes both admission to third-cycle education, i.e. research level, and employment on a doctoral studentship. The employment is for no longer than the equivalent to a maximum of four years of full-time study. The provisions relating to employment on a doctoral studentship are stated in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7. Doctoral students will be employed by the School of Culture and Education at Södertörn University.
The intended outcome for students admitted to third-cycle education is a PhD. The programme covers 240 credits, which is the equivalent of four years of full-time study. A doctoral student’s working hours should primarily be dedicated to his/her third-cycle studies. The position may be prolonged by a maximum of one year by including other duties within education, research and/or administration (equivalent to no more than 20 % of full-time).
The date of employment: 1 September 2015.
Click on the links below for information about admission regulations and third-cycle education in Gender Studies:
Entry requirements/Södertörn University’s Admission Regulations
General syllabus for third-cycle programmes in Gender Studies
Further information
Ulrika Dahl, Associate professor of Gender Studies and Project leader, ulrika.dahl@sh.se, +46 (0)8 608 4380
Jenny Sundén, Director of Studies, Gender Studies, jenny.sunden@sh.se, +46 (0)8 608 4577
Fredrik Svenaeus, Chair, Critical and Cultural Theory, fredrik.svenaeus@sh.se, +46 (0)8 608 4104
Kristy Beers Fägersten, Director of Studies, Baltic and Eastern European Graduate School (BEEGS), kristy.beers.fagersten@sh.se, +46 (0)8 608 50 77
Lena Casado, Human Resources Officer, School of Culture and Education, lena.casado@sh.se, +46 (0)8 608 44 47
Application procedure
For application, use the web-based recruitment system “ReachMee” at Södertörn University. Click on the link “ansök” (apply) at the bottom of the announcement. An application must be written in English and include:
- An application letter.
- Curriculum Vitae.
- Degree certificate and certificates that demonstrate eligibility to apply for the position.
- Bachelor’s essay and Master’s dissertation in the field in accordance with the entry requirements.
- A research plan (project plan) of between 1000 and 1500 words.
- Two references, with contact details.
- A maximum of three publications may also be attached.
Incomplete applications will not be processed. Please note that one copy of everything submitted in association with your application will be kept on file at Södertörn University for two years after the post has been filled, in accordance with a directive from the Swedish National Archives.
Application deadline: 5 March 2015.
