JOB APPLICATION

The Conflict Research Group (CRG), based at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences,  Ghent University offers a fully funded PhD position on the theme of ‘Rural Radicalism’. This PhD scholarship is part of a larger CRG research project on Rural Radicalism in which the candidate will also take a proactive coordinating role.

Project Outline

A new global moment of societal disruption today is fueled by an outburst of rural-based political expressions across the world (Mamonova & Franquesa, 2020). This diverse set of political upheaval – from the ‘Gilet Jaunes’ in France to farmers protest in India to new forms of armed mobilization in the US – is surprisingly persistent and characterized by a deep-seated discontent in relation to the economy, democracy, government and the state.

Over the past decades, economic growth has mainly been concentrated in urban regions characterized by competitive knowledge economies and service sectors with rural regions and small towns being and feeling left behind (Giulluy 2019). The ‘urban bias’ within modernist developmental approaches has reinforced this trend globally. Additionally, many rural places have witnessed cuts in state services and subsidies, rising under- and unemployment, deepening inequality and increasingly precarious livelihoods (Burdick et al., 2009; Horton, 2013; Weyland, 2004).

The failure of neoliberal regimes in alleviating poverty, in guaranteeing equal access to the benefits of modernization, and in providing citizens a sense of belonging, combined with the bleak prospects of climate change are profoundly affecting the functioning of our political systems. These dynamics today produce large-scale and widespread discontent that is most profoundly articulated within rural regions (Deppisch et al., 2021; Jodhka, 2021; Baviskar and Levien, 2021), feeding into a surge of new and ruralised forms of populism and contention.

This call for PhD proposals invites studies that critically investigate rural populist responses to global disruption. It mobilizes the concept of rural radicalism (Weiss 1967) as a way to capture the multiple expressions of rural discontent. Rural radicalism is both theoretically and conceptually an innovative way to capture the formation, narratives, strategies and effects of diverse forms of emerging rural (violent as well as non-violent) counter-publics. What is new to the contemporary global upheaval of rural radicalism is that these emerging rural counter-publics are often prompted by a fundamental refusal of and antagonism towards the state.

With this call, we invite research proposals that are centered, amongst others, around the following questions:

 

  • What forms of contentious and violent politics are deployed by rural populist counter publics?
  • What type of material conditions, social constellations and information flows inform the past as well as present relationships between rural discontent and rural radicalism?
  • How does rural discontent determine participation in agrarian movements and to what degree are rural subjects informed and driven by either material conditions and/or ideological subjectivation?
  • How do different rural radicalisms relate to the state and what is the role of (party) political dynamics in engaging rural communities in a favorable or hostile perception towards ‘the political’ in general?
  • What role do transnational populist narratives of counter-politics play in global forms of rural radical mobilisation?
  • What forms of individual as well as collective political agency are being produced through contemporary manifestations of rural radicalism?

 

Who is eligible for this funding?

  • People holding an MA in the broad field of social sciences (political sciences, development studies, anthropology, history, human geography…)
  • Candidates are eligible only if they submit a proposal that fits the lines of the project outline

 Preference will be given to candidates fulfilling some of the following requirements

  • The candidate has experience in using qualitative research methods and fieldwork
  • The candidate has experience in research management/coordinating research projects
  • The candidate can give proof of adequate research capacity through a) published research outputs, b) excellent grades

 

What we expect from the candidate

  • The candidate will conduct research within the theme of rural radicalism, resulting in a PhD in Political and Social Sciences
  • The candidate will play a proactive role in coordinating the larger research project on rural radicalism, consulting with other researchers in the department and jointly developing research outputs and dissemination strategies
  • The candidate is expected to spend 20% of the time on educational and administrative support

 

Candidates are invited to submit their application consisting of

  • A 3-page CV giving an overview of educational achievements, relevant publications and job experience
  • A research proposal of max 1200 words (excluding references) that is embedded within the larger rationale of the project outline on rural radicalism. This proposal should consist of the following components
    • State of the art
    • Research question/problem statement
    • Methodology
  • A written 1-page statement explaining why the candidate is well-suited for the position

Practicalities

  • Candidates are invited to submit their electronic application by August 15, 2025 to crg@ugent.be. The application should be submitted in one consolidated PDF file.
  • Candidates will be informed throughout September 2025 whether they are invited for a formal job interview
  • Selected students can start their scholarship by October 1, 2025 at the earliest.

 

 What we offer?

  • The candidate obtains from Ghent University a scholarship for 1 full year after which an evaluation will follow. Upon positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for another 3 years.
  • The amount of the scholarship is approximately € 2.470 per month for the part of the PhD done at Ghent University.
  • Your contract will start on 01/10/2025 at the earliest.
  • The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
  • 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, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

References:

  • Baviskar, A. & M. Levien (2021) Farmers’ protests in India: introduction to the JPS Forum, The Journal of Peasant Studies, 48:7, 1341-1355.
  • Burdick, J., Oxhorn, P., & Roberts, K. (2009). Beyond Neoliberalism in Latin America?: Societies and Politics at the Crossroads. Palgrave Macmillan US.
  • Deppisch, L., Osigus, T., & Klärner, A. (2021). How Rural is Rural Populism? On the Spatial Understanding of Rurality for Analyses of Right-wing Populist Election Success in Germany*. Rural Sociology.
  • Guilluy, G. (2019) Twilight of the elites. Prosperity, the Periphery and the Future of France, Yale University Press
  • Horton, L. R. (2013). From Collectivism to Capitalism: Neoliberalism and Rural Mobilization in Nicaragua. Latin American Politics and Society, 55(1), 119–140.
  • Jodhka, S. S. (2021). Why are the farmers of Punjab protesting? The Journal of Peasant Studies, 48(7), 1356–1370.
  • Mamonova, N., & Franquesa, J. (2020). Populism, Neoliberalism and Agrarian Movements in Europe. Understanding Rural Support for Right-Wing Politics and Looking for Progressive Solutions. Sociologia Ruralis, 60(4), 710–731.
  • Weiss, H. (1967). Political Protest in the Congo: The Parti Solidaire Africain During the Independence Struggle, Princeton University Press
  • Weyland, K. (2004). Neoliberalism and Democracy in Latin America: A Mixed Record. 46(1), 135–157.