Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Position on Performative Politics in Kurdistan

 

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

 Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

 

The Conflict Research Group (CRG) – the institutional home of this vacancy – is a multidisciplinary research unit within the Department of Conflict and Development Studies at Ghent University’s Faculty of Political and Social Sciences. The CRG constitutes a thriving and colleagial research environment with diverse academics who converge around their interest in studying micro-level dynamics of civil conflict and political violence. The group’s research is structured around four main clusters: Interventions, Contested Resources, Armed Politics and Conflict and Space.

YOUR TASKS

 You will join the SovereignPerformance project, which is funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant. The project will grow into a team of five post-docs and is coordinated by Bart Klem. A basic description can be found on this page. A dedicated website with more details will be released in October.

The successful candidate will contribute to the project’s first work package, which comprises ethnographic field research into the political repertoires of three entities/movements: 1) the Catalonian independence movement; 2) the autonomous region in Northeast Syria known as Rojava (and Kurdistan more widely); and 3) the Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist movement. The present position focuses on the autonomous region in Northeast Syria known as Rojava (and Kurdistan more widely).

 

You will:

• spend at least 70% of your assignment on academic research.
• conduct ethnographic (or similar qualitative) fieldwork on the political repertoires of the Kurdish self-determination movement.
• collaborate with project colleagues working on Catalonia and the Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist movement.
• attend regular in-person team discussions.
• publish academic publications on the Kurdish self-determination movement and related topics within the overall project.
• develop public outreach on the subject matter of the project.
• present insights at academic workshops and conferences.
• help organise project-related events.
• make minor contributions to the broader activities of the department.

 

 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

 

1. You hold a thesis-based doctorate in relevant discipline (Anthropology, Political Science, International Relations, Geography, Conflict Studies, Development Studies, and similar). Note that the award date of your thesis should be no more than 6 years before the submission deadline of this call.
2. You have demonstrable experience with in-depth qualitative fieldwork.
3. You have experience handling research-related political sensitivities and ethical challenges.
4. You have an excellent publishing record, commensurate to your career stage.
5. You are able to speak and write in Kurdish, ideally good enough to conduct fieldwork in that language.
6. You have an excellent command of written and spoken English, suitable for academic writing and oral presentations.

In addition, the following merits are a plus (but not mandatory):

1. 1. Proficiency in other languages spoken in Kurdish regions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
   2. Experience with ethnographic methods.
   3. Demonstrable experience with or knowledge about the subject fields of the project, such as separatist conflict, performative politics, aesthetic politics, political activism.
   4. Experience with inter-disciplinary research and/or mixed methods.
   5. Previous work experience related to the Kurdish self-determination movement (or other similar movements).

 

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

 

• We offer you a full-time contract of indefinite duration with a maximum term of 31 months. If better suited, there is scope to discuss a 0,9 fte contract for a correspondingly longer duration of 35 months.
• Your contract will start on 1 February 2026 at the earliest.
• Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale PD1. Click here for more information about our salary scales (note that the base figures are subject to an index).
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.
• If the candidate is eligible for an international mobility appointment, a postdoc fellowship will be offered.

 

INTERESTED?

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.

 

Your application must include the following documents:

 

• In the field ‘CV’: your CV, listing your diplomas, work experience, publications and any other relevant merits and experience (merged into one pdf file).
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format. Please include (within the same pdf file) a one-page annex with a table that briefly lists your competencies for each of the bullet points (point 1-6 and I-V) listed under “what we are looking for” above
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of your PhD diploma. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field “other documents”:
  • 1) If not included already in the above: a transcript of grades (where relevant) at the Bachelor, Master and PhD level.
  • 2) Sample of your written work. Up to two peer-reviewed academic publications (articles or chapters). If you would like to share a publication that is longer than 12.000 words (like a book), please submit a chapter (or fragment of similar length). Please choose your publications based on two combined criteria: work that you consider among your best and work that relates to the topics, theories, geographical focus and/or methodologies of this project. Co-authored publications are allowed but not recommended.

 

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

 

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

 

MORE INFORMATION

 For technical questions, please see the FAQ or contact selecties@ugent.be. For more information about the academic aspects of the vacancy and the project, please contact Prof. Bart Klem (bart.klem@ugent.be). Important: do NOT send your application by email but apply online.

 

We aim to notify candidates selected for an interview by 7 November. Online selection interviews are expected to take place in the week of 17-21 November.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read the FAQ or contact us via selecties@ugent.be or +32 9 264 34 36