University of Oslo Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in South Asia Studies, Norway

University of Oslo Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in South Asia Studies

A Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in South Asian Studies is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo. IKOS seeks to recruit a scholar with research qualifications on religion and/or politics in South Asia and with a research project relevant for the department’s collaboration on the rise of blasphemy accusations.

The post-doctoral research fellowship period is three years. There is a 10 % component of the position which is devoted to teaching and administrative duties.

The successful candidate will address the rise of blasphemy accusations in South Asia over the past 25-30 years. The fellow will join the collaborative effort to address the conditions that paved the way for such a development across different political regimes, legal traditions and religious sensibilities. The successful candidate will work on one or a few grounded case studies selected and analyzed to throw light on the rise of blasphemy controversies in South Asia and possibly on the role of South Asia and South Asians in the global politics of religious offense. The cases may for instance illuminate the role of new technologies, political developments, changing notions of honour/respect, collective rights or altered meanings of blasphemy.

The successful candidate is expected to take active part in relevant research activities and networks at the department, within and beyond the South Asia section. The candidate is expected to stay in Oslo for the duration of the fellowship, except during data collection and shorter periods as visiting scholar at renowned universities abroad.

Requirements

The successful candidate must have completed a PhD degree within South Asian studies or a relevant discipline within the humanities or social sciences. Applicants with background in religious studies, history, social anthropology or South Asian language studies are particularly welcome.
In-depth knowledge of and research experience from one of the South Asian countries.
Competence in the South Asian language relevant for the proposed research project.

Qualifications and personal skills

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

The thematic relevance, academic quality, and originality of the proposed research project
Quality of academic publications
Personal suitability, strong motivation, collaboration skills, and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic research environments

We offer

salary level 57-65 (NOK 483 700 – 560 700, depending on qualifications)
a professionally stimulating working environment
attractive welfare benefits

Submissions

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application, preferably in pdf format:

project description, including a detailed progress plan for the project (maximum 5 pages, see Template for project descriptions)
letter of application
Curriculum Vitae
list of publications
summary of PhD dissertation (up to 5 pages)
transcript of records of PhD and Master's degrees; foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university's grading system

Our electronic recruitment system will ask you to upload the attachments in the order mentioned above. Transcript of records should be uploaded as 'Attachment' under 'Other'. Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Educational certificates, PhD dissertations and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

Short-listed candidates will be called in for an interview at the University of Oslo or we will arrange for an interview on Skype.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.