3-year Postdoc Position in Political Science/Sociology

The Department of Political Science at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, invites applications for a 3-year postdoctoral position offering applicants an exciting opportunity to join the project How and why immigration divides us: The role of moralization. The project is led by Associate Professor Kristina Bakkær Simonsen and funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark’s elite researcher programme Sapere Aude.

The starting date of the position is May 1, 2021 or subject to mutual agreement.

The research project
In a democracy, citizens and politicians must be able to discuss their disagreements. A topic that challenges this premise more than almost any other in many contemporary societies is immigration. People on each side of the debate are unwilling to engage in conversation and compromise with those on the other side, and the antipathy is far-reaching: Substantial segments of the population have strong aversions to making friends with, being colleagues with, or letting their kids be taught by someone with whom they disagree on immigration issues. In addition, immigration attitudes are politically potent, and have, in many places and at several elections, been decisive for citizens’ vote choice. This research project seeks to understand why – and in what ways – immigration has become such a seemingly divisive issue. The project zooms in on a certain type of political language – moralizing political rhetoric – which is expected to have contributed to making existing immigration attitudes more politically consequential and socially divisive. The project’s overall research question is: (How) does political moralization affect political and social divisions over immigration among citizens? To answer this question, the project innovatively combines computational text analysis of political rhetoric over time, place and political parties across Western democracies, original survey experiments in the US, Canada, Denmark, and Sweden, and focus group discussions in Denmark and Canada.

The project is funded by a Sapere Aude Research Leader grant from the Independent Research Fund Denmark for the period 2021-2024. A short interview about the project can be found here.

Job description
How and why immigration divides us: The role of moralization consists of three work packages involving computational text analysis, original survey experiments and focus group discussions. Candidates are expected to have strong competencies in one – and preferably several – of these areas. Experience with mixed-methods projects is an advantage but not a precondition for applying. Applicants should demonstrate expertise within research on attitudes toward immigrants, polarization, political rhetoric, and/or morality/moralization.

The successful applicant will be employed as part of a research group consisting of Associate Professor Kristina Bakkær Simonsen (project leader/principal investigator), a PhD, international collaborators, and research assistants. The postdoc is expected to devote her/his research time to the project and engage in collaborative research within the focus of the project. The position also involves opportunities for the postdoc to investigate independent research ideas within the broader frame of the project. Through the research project, the postdoc will have access to significant funding for conferences, data collection, etc.

A postdoc position at the Department of Political Science implies modest teaching obligations (approximately one seminar each year). Applicants are therefore encouraged to include a short description of their prior experience with teaching and their potential contributions to the BA or MA programs of the department.

Your qualifications
Applicants are expected to hold (or be close to completing) a PhD in political science, sociology or a related social science field. In addition to interest in conducting collaborative research within the focus of the project, applicants must demonstrate the ability to conduct state-of-the-art research within the field, as evidenced through publications in international, peer-reviewed journals. In addition, applicants are expected to possess strong methodological skills, extensive experience with empirical research, and an excellent command of spoken and written English. Personal skills in regard to communication and collaboration will also be considered.

Interested applicants should submit an application letter (2-3 pages) motivating why the applicant is interested in being part of How and why immigration divides us: The role of moralization and how the applicant can contribute to the success of the project, outlining potential avenues for research relevant to the focus of the project.

Who we are
The Department of Political Science is one of the six departments at Aarhus BSS, one of the five faculties at Aarhus University. Aarhus BSS unites the business and social science-related research fields and brings them closer together to reflect the close relationship between society and the business community. As part of a Top 100 university, Aarhus BSS – and specifically the Department of Political Science – has achieved the distinguished AASCB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditations.

At the Department of Political Science, we emphasise a dynamic and flexible research and teaching profile characterised by pluralism and openness. With around 90 academic staff members and 40 PhD students, we offer a lively and ambitious research and teaching environment.

The research carried out at the department not only covers a variety of political science disciplines, but also represents a variety of methodological approaches. This not only enables us to focus on new problem areas as they appear on the national and international political arenas, but also allows us to contribute actively to the development of the discipline. We also emphasise communicating our research results to the political-administrative system and to the public in general.

For more information about the Department of Political Science, please see here.

Further information
Applicants are welcome to contact Associate Professor Kristina Bakkær Simonsen (bakkaer@ps.au.dk) for further information on the position and the research project.

Selected candidates will be invited for an interview (online or face-to-face depending on the circumstances).

If you need help uploading your application or have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR supporter Anne Arnfeldt Källberg, Tel.: +45 8715 3631, Email: aak@au.dk