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The University of Ghana, Institute of African Studies & Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre invite applications for 3 PhD Scholarships for the 2018/2019 academic year.
The University of Ghana, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), and Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY) are undertaking a collaborative research project on the Domestic Security Implications of United Nations Peacekeeping (D-SIP) in Ghana. D-SIP’s objective is to understand the linkages between peacekeeping contributions, domestic security provision and drivers of stability in Ghana. By producing knowledge on how participation in international peacekeeping shapes the legitimacy and effectiveness of security institutions and practices in troop contributing countries, D-SIP offers insight into broader dynamics of peace and state-building.
D-SIP calls for PhD applications that explore how the exposure to international peacekeeping training and deployments abroad impacts on discourses and practices of security within Ghana. The empirical focus is on the national level as well as local level in two urban localities – Accra and Tamale – as well as rural Ghana. D-SIP applies a multidisciplinary approach with an emphasis on ethnographic fieldwork methods. Overall, the aim is to show how the global is productive of the local, and how institutions, actors, practices, norms and discourse mix to produce novel forms of security governance and global-local linkages.
As part of the D-SIP programme, the University of Ghana invites interested and qualified citizens of Ghana, holding MPhil/MA/MSc/LLM degrees in law, social or political sciences, to submit their applications for 3 PhD positions. The successful candidates will be enrolled at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana and receive a PhD in African Studies with a specialisation in security and peacekeeping. They will be supervised by a joint team of D-SIP researchers from the University of Ghana, KAIPTC, DIIS and DIGNITY.
The positions are for four (4) years full-time and will commence on 1 February 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter. While undertaking qualitative fieldwork in Accra, Tamale and/or another location in rural or urban Ghana, the three successful PhD candidates will each adopt a specific thematic focus, for example:
- National level organisation of security and how it has been influenced by Ghana’s peacekeeping experience;
- How security is provided in Accra, and trace how Ghana’s experience of peacekeeping has shaped local-level policing; and
- How security is provided in Tamale, and trace how Ghana’s experience of peacekeeping has shaped local-level policing.
- Any other theme related to security provision and peace-keeping in rural or urban Ghana.
- The candidates are expected to conduct up to 8 months of ethnographic fieldwork, and to participate in teaching at the University of Ghana.The successful PhD candidates will contribute to the overall research objective of identifying the domestic security implications of UN peacekeeping contributions in Ghana.D-SIP is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Worth of Award
- The candidates will spend their experiential learning attachments at DIIS and KAIPTC, including study stays and thesis writing time at both institutions, in Accra and Copenhagen, respectively.
- The candidates will be fully integrated members of the D-SIP research team.
- The successful candidates will receive a stipend throughout the 4-year period of their studies, and all costs for fieldwork, PhD training-related travel, and conferences abroad will be covered by D-SIP.
Eligibility
Successful candidates are required to:
- Hold a master’s degree in the social sciences, political science, law or inter-disciplinary studies.
- Be highly motivated to develop a scientific career, and to pursue doctoral studies according to the approved study plan.
- Possess and demonstrate good scientific writing skills.
- Have a strong methodological and conceptual background in the relevant scientific disciplines or areas.
- Ideally have ethnographic fieldwork experience.
- Ideally have worked with security related issues in Accra, Tamale or elsewhere.
- Be a constructive and engaged team worker.
How to Apply
Potential applicants are invited to prepare a 4-5-page concept note (maximum 2,000 words) which, with reference to the selected PhD focus (please select from above), outlines a detailed focus for the proposed PhD project as well as research assumptions and questions. Applicants, who wish to apply for the PhD position under two or more thematic areas, should develop a separate concept note for each of the focus areas. The following details must be included in the concept note:
- Statement of the research problem and how it will be investigated through more specific research questions.
- Discussion of the analytical framework of the research problem in light of relevant theory.
- Description of the geographical and socio-political context of the study (Accra/Tamale).
- Presentation of the research design and the methods that will be employed to generate the data.
- Practical considerations.
- Ethical considerations.
- Time plan.
- Please make sure to clearly indicate which of the PhD positions you apply for.
- In addition to this concept note, the application should be accompanied by a CV, including a list of publications as well as names and contact details of a 2-3 academic references.
- The application should be submitted online to Dr Richard Asante via [email protected] and [email protected], with copy to Dr Kwesi Aning ([email protected]), Professor Dzodzi Tsikata ([email protected]), Dr Peter Albrecht ([email protected]), and Professor Raymond Atuguba ([email protected]). All five can be contacted for more information on D-SIP. Deadline for application is 15 October 2018, at noon.