The University of Basel, Switzerland, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher (100% FTE) for the project Aspirational Urbanism and the Recodification of Defiance (ASPIRA)

The function of a blank sheet of A4 paper in a context of censorship reflects the need to recognize new forms of defiance. As speech is being monitored through different technologies and in a range of arenas from the public square to social media and across university campuses, defiance takes new forms of symbolic critique. In the project “Aspirational Urbanism and the Recodification of Defiance (ASPIRA)”, recognizing defiance contributes to the aim of conceptualizing aspirational urbanism as a way of understanding the function of alterity (alternative futures, speculative possibilities) in shaping cities. Rather than explaining urban change in Hong Kong and Taipei exclusively in terms of tiger economics or the developmentalist state, beyond techno-positivism and growth machine dogmas, ASPIRA recognizes defiance as the agency of urban residents in contesting perceived inevitabilities. The project builds on theoretical work on urban futures, understanding cities as sites for planning, imagining and representing futures. It also recognizes the unequal capacities and risks involved, highlighting the “cruel” ascriptions to optimism and the potentially devastating consequences of aspiration. ASPIRA's approach identifying defiance by centering on visual analysis grounds aspirational urbanism, rescaling the object of urban theory towards everyday micro-practices.

Your position

• Work as full-time postdoctoral researcher for the Swiss National Science Foundation Starting Grant project Aspirational Urbanism and the Recodification of Defiance (ASPIRA), led by Prof. Dr. Julie Ren
• Collaborate and conduct research within team (with PI and PhD) and independently

Includes outreach, source mapping, developing methods, field research in Hong Kong and Taipei, analysis of materials (coding/CDA)

• Present research at international conferences; co-organize project symposia and final exhibition
• Co-author and single author peer-reviewed publications

Your profile

• PhD with an urban studies focus in urban or cultural geography/ anthropology/ sociology, media studies, gender studies or a related field
• Regional expertise conducting research in Hong Kong and/or Taipei
• Qualitative research experience employing archival, visual, digital and/or creative methods
• Strong analytical skills and record of high-quality publication output
• Languages: Fluency in both spoken and written Mandarin and English (ideally also Cantonese)

We offer you

• 4-year 100% postdoctoral researcher position with Swiss salary to begin on 1 April 2025, hosted by the Urban Studies unit in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Basel, Switzerland
• Research travel and conference budget
• If desired, teaching and lecturing experience
• Collaborative, small team committed to your career development with a healthy work-life balance
• Fully equipped workplace in the center of Basel near the university campus

Application/Contact

Please submit the following materials in PDF format using only the recruiting online tool of University of Basel.

• CV with publication list
• Max. 2-page cover letter detailing:

Your experience related to the position and profile detailed above
Your ideal professional trajectory following the project
If you will require a working visa for Switzerland (NOT for assessment but only for planning)

• Max. 500-word elaboration of one research method you would use for this project
• One exemplary publication that showcases your strengths
• An electronic copy of your PhD certificate

If you have questions about the position, you can contact: Julie Ren: j.y.ren@uva.nl / julie.ren@unibas.ch.

The application deadline is Friday, December 20, 2024.
Interviews will be online and take place the week of January 27, 2025. Apply