ERC Project BOAR: “Veterinarization of Europe? Hunting for Wild Boar Futures in the Time of African Swine Fever.” (2020-2025) Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
PhD Position, funded for 4 years
Deadline 17 April 2020
We are happy to announce one funded PhD position for the BOAR ERC project “Veterinarization of Europe? Hunting for Wild Boar Futures in the Time of African Swine Fever.” BOAR ERC will be a collaborative, ethnographic investigation of the relationship between three understudied subjects in anthropology – veterinary medicine, European hunting and wild boars – and how African Swine Fever is radically changing the dynamics between them. This project has two main objectives: first, to examine how European hunting and porcine futures are intertwined, and the role of veterinarians in shaping these futures, and second, through human-boar relations, study how society is becoming increasingly veterinarized.
Along with BOAR ERC team members, the PhD candidate will conduct their research at the Department of Ecological Anthropology, Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS). CAS is a research-only institution, so the student will simultaneously be based at and receive their PhD degree from Charles University. (If the student can propose an alternate European university from where they would like to receive their PhD degree, we are open to discuss other arrangements.)
What a PhD with the BOAR ERC team offers:
- to work as part of an international, ambitious, friendly, and supportive team;
- to pursue a cutting-edge social scientific research subject in relation to a politically topical issue in Europe (African Swine fever);
- a gross salary of EUR 1250 (approximately EUR 1000 after taxation) per month, for four years (because ethnographic fieldwork takes time). Also, if the applicant receives their PhD through Charles University, they will be paid an additional EUR 400 per month for three years as the state stipend;
- funding for fieldwork and conference travel;
- an opportunity to spend a semester at Roehampton University (UK) under the supervision of Prof. Garry Marvin.
What we expect from a PhD candidate:
- to be highly motivated and have the capacity to independently develop a doctoral research project dedicated to the subjects and objectives of BOAR ERC while under the guidance of the BOAR ERC’s principal investigator;
- to conduct extensive ethnographic research in a European country – preference will be given to a candidate willing and able to pursue fieldwork in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria or another Eastern European country where African Swine Fever is fundamentally reconceptualizing wild boar and human relations;
- very good command of English, both written and spoken (approximately score 7 in IELTS or 94-101 in TOEFL);
- a background in social anthropology, ethnology, sociology or social geography, with a master’s degree awarded no later than August 2020;
- to present papers at international conferences, publish articles in high quality journals, and contribute to public communication (website, social media);
- readiness to live and work in Prague, Czech Republic.
Deadline for the application is 17 April 2020. The successful candidate is expected to start the PhD programme in October 2020.
If interested, please submit a single PDF file comprising the following documents:
- motivation letter;
- research proposal of maximum 3 pages (proposal is obviously preliminary but should indicate where the project will be undertaken, what questions related to the ERC project it will seek to ask, and the disciplinary and theoretical literature that will be engaged);
- CV including list of publications (publications are advantageous but not necessarily expected at this stage of your career);
- copy of your academic degrees and relevant certificates (such as IELTS or TOEFEL if applicable);
- at least one letter of reference.
Applications should be emailed to office@eu.cas.cz under the subject “BOAR PhD position” no later than 17 April 2020, 6 pm Central European Time. We will contact the successful applicant by 23 April 2020.
We strongly recommend that prospective applicants contact Ludek Broz broz (at) eu.cas.cz for further information regarding the BOAR ERC project, work conditions, and to discuss potential doctoral research proposals, prior to submitting the application.
