Outline

The selected fellow will analyze how the European Union (EU) deals with the conflictualisation of identities and values as means or ends of the political debate. Much research has been done on the effects of this trend in European politics, but far less on how the European/national institutions and elites are dealing with it. The approach in terms of political narratives is a way to bridge the gap.

The recent resurgence of interest in narratives should be understood as a new movement in the constant oscillation between the ideal and pragmatic dimensions of EU legitimation. In the 2000s, the political and intellectual agenda was mainly defined in terms of European identity and values. From the mid-2010s onwards, the emphasis has been on the search for practices that can bring Europeans together, such as the experiences of 'everyday Europe' and the advocacy of the 'European way of life'. Major recent crises such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine relaunched the debate on the core components of Europeanness. The constant renewal of narratives produced by institutions, intellectuals, and civil society highlights the back-and-forth between different visions of the EU as a polity and its legitimization, either reproducing the process of nation-state building (myth of origins, congruence between culture and politics) or relying on a functionalist justification based on results.

The selected doctoral fellow will study the genesis of European narratives; their circulation and re-interpretations across national, institutional, and policy boundaries; their combination, interactions, and competition; and their reception by civil society and citizens; and their effects in creating unity and/or dissensus. The fellow will work towards a double doctoral degree involving the ULB and a to-be-determined second university among the EU-based partners of the consortium. From the start, the doctoral researcher will work under the supervision of Professor François Forêt and accomplish their initial doctoral training at the ULB.

What is funded

As a full-time doctoral fellow, the withheld candidate will be awarded a 36-month fellowship paid out by the ULB as a monthly income. This also sees the fellow fully integrated into the Belgian Social Security system akin to any employee in Belgium.

All three years of their funding, the Fellow will be fully integrated into the GEM-DIAMOND training and research program.

As such, they will take part in the jointly organized research and training activities. Participation in these activities will be funded.

Duration

The fellowship is awarded for a total of 36 months, from October 2023 to September 2026.

• The first year – Oct. 2023/Sept 2024 – the fellow will be hired as part of a Belgian doctoral fellowship program.
• The second and third years – Oct 2024/Sept. 2025 & Oct 2025/Sept. 2026 – the fellow will be hired as a fully funded MSCA fellow.

Eligibility

• Top-level graduate degree (Master or equivalent providing access to Ph.D. programs in Political or Social Sciences: applicants must submit at least one diploma meeting one of the following requirements: (1) a two-year master program (120 ECTS) or equivalent, (2) a one- year graduate program following a prior undergraduate degree if both diplomas total at least 300 ECTS or equivalent; (3) a single four-year higher education program offering 300 ECTS or more.
• English proficiency must be attested either through a previous English language diploma, or an internationally recognized proficiency test (i.e., IELTS, IBT, TOEFL, or Cambridge).
• The researcher should be in the first four years of their research careers at the time of recruitment and have not been awarded a doctoral degree so far.
• The researcher is expected to contribute to various tasks, among others: state-of-the-art of the debates on European legitimization, political communication, identity politics, and political interactions between national and European levels of governance; process tracing, discourse, and content analysis; interviews with civil servants, politicians, experts, and members of civil society; management of online surveys; supervision of parliamentary debates and qualitative case studies. Project management and communication are also part of the duties.

How to Apply

• Applications are to be submitted via e-mail by September the 15th, 2023.
• Applications are to be sent in as a single PDF to pmo@gem-stones.eu
• Applications are to contain:

1. A full academic CV
2. A personal essay describing the applicant’s motivation and outlook on the suggested research program (incl. the reasoning behind their expression of interest, a statement of motivation, and most importantly personal interpretation of the research project, ideally in the form of an initial research project.
3. An academic record with a scan of the degree qualifications
4. A proof of language proficiency
5. Two academic contacts which can be consulted by the selection committee.

--> Attached herewith is the official Call for Applications (a PDF) with further details on the position & the associated selection process.