Postdoctoral Fellow in in the sociology of culture, inequality and education

Moscow, Russia

The Higher School of Economics Centre for Cultural Sociology in Moscow, Russia invites applications for postdoctoral research positions in the field of the sociology of culture and inequality, cultural sociology of education and related fields.  

About the Centre for Cultural Sociology

The Centre for Cultural Sociology headed by Dmitry Kurakin carries out theoretical and empirical investigations of culture and its paramount role within contemporary societies. Our primary interest concerns social inequalities and the various ways in which culture informs individuals’ identities, perceptions, rationales, actions, preferences, aspirations and decision-making patterns.

Social inequality is stubbornly rigid, persists in societies across the globe, and is often resistant to even the best-intended interventions. Education, as one of the constitutive social institutions of modernity, provides perhaps the most potent vector to mitigate and reverse social inequalities. This informs our empirical interest in the life-course and education/career choice – the processes through which social inequalities emerge and reemerge in individual lives. By combining theoretical and empirical studies, and qualitative and quantitative methods, we seek to advance intra- and inter-disciplinary dialogue, while providing an ecosystem for the development of state-of-the-art cultural sociology and inequality studies. Conceptually, we adhere to Durkheimian perspective in cultural sociology, having regard to emotional dimension of culture and taking into consideration recent debates on the “cognitive turn.” In light of this, we seek to develop new advanced ways of formal analysis of culture related to these issues, in addition to more traditional means of qualitative analysis.

We run Russia’s most comprehensive longitudinal panel cohort study on education and career – “Trajectories in Education and Careers” (TrEC), which includes nationally representative panel of ~5k respondents, and a qualitative subpanel. We also lead the Moscow Culture Workshop, an international workshop in cultural sociology that includes leading scholars from a variety of countries.

Requirements

The general requirements for the postdoctoral fellowship positions are the following:

• Candidates must hold a recent PhD in the field of the sociology of culture, cultural sociology of inequality and education or related areas which was awarded over the last 5 years or received before starting work at HSE in a relevant field by an internationally recognized unive0rsity and has been assessed by external reviewers as having the potential to pursue research that is publishable in leading peer-reviewed journals;
• Candidates should have a strong background in social theory, social research methodology, qualitative or quantitative methods, or/and mixed methods research, research in inequality and education, ability to work in a team and to join a developing cutting-edge research agenda.
• Fluent English is an obligatory condition as research and other activities are conducted in English. Knowledge of Russian is not required as research and teaching are both conducted in English (unless the candidate has a methodological background in qualitative methods);
• Relevant experience will be an asset although not required.

The position involves:

• working under the direct supervision of Professor Dmitry Kurakin;
• participants are encouraged to work on the Centre for Cultural Sociology research projects such as:

o  Educational and career choice in the context of culture and inequality
o  Trajectories in education and career
o  Literature as cultural practice and social institute

• writing research papers for international peer-reviewed journals in co-authorship with the members of the Centre for Cultural Sociology;
• participation in the events of the the Centre for Cultural Sociology and other contribution to the Centre’s development;
• public presentations of candidate’s own research to the academic community;
• some teaching is encouraged, though not required.

Conditions

Appointments are made for one year. Postdoctoral fellows have high opportunity of renewal of the contract (no more than two times) in case of outstanding performance.

HSE University offers postdoctoral fellows a competitive salary, the standard medical insurance plan, a working space equipped with a computer and free Internet access at the University. The Centre for Cultural Sociology offers access to its databases.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online. Please provide a CV, a statement of research interest and a recent research paper submitted via the online application form. At least two letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru before the application deadline. Please note that direct applications to the hiringthe Centre for Cultural Sociology may not be reviewed.

Read more about the application process here.

The deadline for the applications is January 31, 2022.

Apply now

For more information:

• about Postdoctoral Fellowship -Frequently Asked Questions;
• about HSE university –official web-site;
• about the Centre for Cultural Sociology– official web-site of the Centre or contact Dmitry Kurakin directly (dmitry.kurakin@hse.ru);
• ]about international specialists' life in Moscow -International Faculty Support.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the International Faculty Recruitment Office at fellowship@hse.ru