Academic Job: Ph.D. Position (U. of Zurich)

Deadline for Applications: June 15, 2017

The History Department of the University of Zurich invites applications for 1 Ph.D. Position:

Effective from September, 1st,  2017, for a period of four years, this fully-funded position is part of a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on the “Late Soviet Village: People, Institutions, and Things between the socialist cult of urbanity and ruralisation of urban life styles” (SNSF-Professorship Ekaterina Emeliantseva Koller).

The project reconsiders the dynamics of late Soviet society by looking at the developments in rural areas, conceptualizing the late Soviet village as a specific modus of entanglement between city and village. Focusing on consumption practices, youth culture, family networks, Soviet rituals and community life in Northwestern Russia, the study will address issues of self-perception and self-articulation of Soviet villagers vis-à-vis changing ideological frames and social practices between utopian urban modernity and the legacy of collectivization.

Applicants are expected to conduct dissertation research on a selected topic leading to a Ph.D. at the University of Zurich. Eligible candidates hold a master’s or equivalent degree in Modern History, Russian/Eurasian Studies, or Cultural Anthropology with a focus on Eastern Europe. Applicants should have a very good command of the Russian language enabling them to conduct Oral History interviews. The salary and research subsidies are based on the regulations of the Swiss National Science Foundation for Ph.D. candidates.

Informal inquiries may be sent to: ekaterina.emeliantseva@uzh.ch

Applications (in English) should include a covering letter, a CV, copies of academic diplomas, a writing sample (a chapter of the master thesis or a published article), two names of academic referees. Please send your application by June 15th 2017in electronic form to: ekaterina.emeliantseva@uzh.ch