PhD Position in Islamic/Middle Eastern Studies
Project “TraIL: Tracing Labour in Islamicate Legal Traditions”
The Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies
University of Bern, Switzerland
Application Deadline: October 15, 2024

The Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (SACS) at the University of Bern is seeking a PhD student to join the unit “Middle East and Muslim Societies,” within Prof. Dr Serena Tolino’s research team.

The PhD student will join the research team of the SNSF Starting Grant Project, “TraIL: Tracing Labour in Islamicate Legal Traditions.” The project began in March 2024 and will run for 60 months.

TraIL aims to provide cutting-edge research on the legal history of labor in Islamicate societies, diversifying their understanding of labor through textual and digital methods of analysis. The focus will be on the intersection of labor and gender in Islamic legal traditions across a long historical span (from the 10th to the 20th century).

The geographical focus will be on Egypt and the region of Bilād al-Shām (Greater Syria, which corresponds to modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine).

The project consists of three work packages:

1. Conceptualizations of Labor: this work package aims at identifying and mapping concepts of work, labor, and related notions within the Islamic legal discourse.
2. Women’s labor in Islamic Legal Sources: this work package will explore how jurists discussed women’s labor and how women dealt with their discussions.
3. Labor in the Modern State: Concepts and Regulations: this work package investigates how industrialization influenced the legal understanding and conceptualization of labor.

Moreover, the project will produce a database on labor in Islamic legal sources. They are seeking a PhD student to work on the third work package, Labor in the Modern State: Concepts and Regulations.

The selected candidate will primarily focus on the impact of industrialization, the centrality of the workplace, the change in the legal understanding of labor, and the impact that these aspects had on women’s participation to the job market.

The PhD student will focus on a specific private or state institution or company active between the 19th and the 20th century in Egypt.

The position is based in the Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (SACS), within the unit “Middle East and Muslim Societies.” The role is limited to a maximum of four years, and relocation to Bern is expected.

Requirements

The responsibilities of the PhD student recruited to this project are as follows:

• Completing a PhD in Islamic or Middle Eastern Studies
• Conducting fieldwork in Egypt for an extended period (approximately six months total, with possibility of extension)
• Collaborating closely with TraIL project members and SACS colleagues
• Co-organizing project workshops, conferences, and events
• Contributing to the TraIL project database, the first relational database on labor in Islamicate societies
• Participating in the project’s communication strategy, including managing the project blog
• Building academic networks with colleagues in Egypt
• Presenting research at academic conferences
• Attending project meetings and research colloquia.

The Department is looking for a motivated candidate who can demonstrate a strong commitment to SACS, the potential to produce research of international standard, and robust methodological skills.
Candidates should be reliable, capable of working both independently and collaboratively, and exhibit excellent prioritization and collegiality skills. An active willingness to contribute to a supportive and inclusive work environment is essential.

Candidates must hold an MA degree (with very good grades) in Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Arabic Studies, or related fields, with a proven ability to work with historical sources.
A willingness to carry out fieldwork in Egypt is expected and will be part of the post holders’ duties. Fluency in written and spoken English and a very good knowledge of Arabic is required. A proven interest in current debates in gender and/or labor history and a willingness to be part of an interdisciplinary team and to work with and think critically about digital tools and methods is expected. Previous experience of working with legal sources is an advantage.

Candidates nearing completion of their MA are also welcome to apply. However, they must submit a detailed and realistic timeline for completing their MA, accompanied by a confirmation letter from their MA supervisor.

Application

Applications should include:

• A cover letter explaining your interest in the project
• A copy of relevant degree certificates and a detailed academic transcript (including classes attended)
• A detailed CV

The documents should be submitted as a single file in PDF format. The deadline for applications is 15 October 2024 (midnight CEST). Please send your applications to Debora Ulrich with the subject line: PhD TraIL.

If you are short-listed, you will be asked to provide contact details for two references, a writing sample, and a two-page description of a PhD project that fits within the TraIL project. Interviews will take place in November via Zoom.

Source: Prospective Media Services