Université de Liège (Belgium), Faculty of Social Sciences (FaSS), Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) invite applications for the 2 PhD Scholarships and 1 Postdoctoral Scholarship for international students in the 2018/2019 academic year.
Applications are invited for scholarships to work at doctoral and post-doctoral level on migrants’ social protection strategies from a qualitative perspective. These positions are advertised in the framework of the ERC project Migration, Transnationalism and Social Protection in (post-)crisis Europe (MiTSoPro) led by Dr. Jean-Michel Lafleur at the University of Liège.
Project Details
- Migration, Transnationalism and Social Protection in (post-)crisis Europe (MiTSoPro) is a project financed by the European Research Council Starting Grant No. 680014 (2016-2021) awarded to Dr. Jean-Michel Lafleur, Associate Director of the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) at the University of Liège. MiTSoPro articulates social policy and migration studies’ approaches to ‘transnational social protection’ defined as migrants’ cross-border strategies to cope with social risks – such as health, unemployment or old-age. It examines their entitlements to host and home public welfare policies as well as market-, family- and community-based practices.
- This study combines large-N analysis of social protection policies and programs that home and host countries make accessible to immigrants and emigrants (EU-28 + 12 non-EU countries) with multisited ethnographic fieldwork to qualitatively assess the informal social protection strategies used by migrants and examine their interaction with formal host and home state social protection provisions.
Position: Two PhD scholarships: full-time, fixed-term of 3 years (with possible extension)
Tasks expected from the PhD candidate:
• Spend extensive periods of time conducting fieldwork in several European cities and possibly one non-European city.
• Write and complete a PhD dissertation on a question directly related to this topic
• Participate in the political & social sciences Ph.D. programme at ULiège and in the intellectual life of FaSS and CEDEM (including teaching)
• Submit for publication a minimum of two articles or book chapters
• Present research results in international conferences
• Participate in administrative tasks related to the project (reporting, conference organization, etc.)
All work would be done in close consultation with the Principal Investigator and other members of the MiTSoPro project team.
Worth of Award
Attractive scholarship
• Resources to conduct fieldwork and participate in conferences and summer schools
• Opportunities to train and develop new skills
• A stimulating and international research environment located a train ride away from Brussels, Paris, London, Cologne and Maastricht
Eligibility
MA in Social Sciences (e.g., Sociology, Social Policy, Anthropology, Political Science)
• Experience conducting ethnographic fieldwork (e.g., MA thesis)
• Specialty in social policy and/or migration is an asset
• Language skills: English plus (at least) one of the following: Arabic, French, Italian, Polish,
Portuguese, Romanian or Spanish
• Ability and interest to work in a team
How to Apply
The selection process occurs in 2 steps.
Applications must be submitted electronically in English to [email protected] (with copy at [email protected]) by 4 June 2018 with the message subject, ‘MiTSoPro_Postdoc’. The following documents must be attached to the email in two separate PDF files:
1) In the first file, named ‘Motivation_applicant’s last name’:
• A motivation letter (maximum 800 words)
• A CV with detailed information on degree results, publications, research experience and
language skills
• A copy of the PhD dissertation if available
• The names and contact details of two references
2) In the second file, named ‘Sample_applicant’s last name’:
• One writing sample (e.g. article, book chapter or chapter of PhD thesis) in English or French showing her/his methodological rigor, ability to conduct ethnographic fieldwork and relevant analytical capacities (single-spaced, maximum 10,000 words)
- Shortlisted candidates will also be asked to submit a short research proposal by 20 June 2018 (single-spaced, maximum 3,000 words). The proposal should outline the research strategy that the candidate would use to conduct ethnographic fieldwork exploring migrants’ formal and informal social protection strategies. It should include information on methods, possible theoretical developments, and relevant literature.
- They will also be invited to participate in an interview in person at ULiège or remotely via Skype at the end of June 2018, which will discuss their scientific track-record and the research proposal.
- Final results will be notified by 7 July 2018. The successful nominee would be expected to start in September 2018.
- For more information, please contact the MiTSoPro team: Email: [email protected]
http://labos.ulg.ac.be/socialprotection
Deadline: applications close 4 June 2018