Job - 3x Ph.D and 1x Post-Doc
Faculty of Humanities, Institute for Area Studies 3x Ph.D and 1x Post-Doc Buddhism and Social Justice: Doctrine, Ideology and Discrimination in Tension
- Specifications - (explanation)
Location Leiden 2300 RA Scientific fields Language and Culture Function types Postdoc positions, PhD positions Education University Graduate Hours 38.0 hours per week End procedure 23 April 2010 Job number 10-048 Translations en zh
Job description
Buddhism is widely perceived to be, and Buddhist sources themselves promote the tradition as, a philosophy of liberation. Yet, as perhaps everywhere, Buddhist societies, both ancient and modern, not only evidence, but indeed seem to promote, social inequalities. The project ‘Buddhism and Social Justice’ explores the inner tensions in Buddhist cultures between inherited core values and social realities, with specific foci on questions of labor (e.g., slavery and forced labor, serfdom) and social status (e.g., caste and discrimination).
The project consists of five studies: a core investigation of slavery and caste in India, and studies on slavery in Korea, burakumin (‘outcastes’) in Japan, ‘serfdom’ and monastic economy in Tibet, and ethnicity and Buddhism in Sri Lanka. These are approached through text-historical, historical and a socio-anthropological methods. The synergy between the projects lies in the question of how Buddhist ways of thinking and acting inform and structure historically Buddhist Asian societies, and how, correspondingly, Buddhist ideologies and dogmas were transformed in historical contexts. This study seeks therefore to uncover the links between the ancient and the modern and the theoretical and the real-world, thereby leading both to a deeper appreciation of how religious systems function in societies in general, and to a more nuanced appreciation of the dynamics of historically Buddhist societies in general, particularly with respect to questions of social justice. As such, the work is situated not only within the realms of Buddhist Studies and Asian History, but also at the juncture of Religious Studies, Political Science and Anthropology, as it engages issues of Church and Society, Slavery Studies, and the study of Race, Ethnicity and Caste.
Requirements
Applicants for a PhD position
Tasks:
- The writing of a PhD dissertation;
- publishing research results in the form of (an) article(s) and/or books;
- presenting papers at (international) conferences, including the final conference of the project;
- participation in local research meetings and PhD teaching;
- organizing roundtable meetings and conferences in the framework of the research project.
Requirements:
- an MA, M.Phil or equivalent degree in a relevant field;
- research knowledge of the language(s) necessary for the project;
- fluency in English (spoken and written) and competence in other relevant modern languages;
- ability to work independently.
Post-Doctoral Fellowship applicants
should have a demonstrably excellent academic track record in Buddhist Studies, and hold a PhD in Buddhist Studies or a related field, or its equivalent.They should have an excellent command of English and be prepared to present their research results in English. Applicants will teach a small number of courses on topics within their area of specialization, and assist in guiding the PhD students.
Conditions of employment
The salary is determined in accordance with the current scales as set out in the collective labor agreement for the Dutch universities (CAO):
Postdoctoral fellow: min. € 2.379, max. € 4.374
PhD fellow: min. € 2.042 - max. € 2.612
Contract type
Temporary
Postdoctoral fellow is temporary, max. three years and PhD-fellow (‘promovendus’) is temporary, max. four years
Organisation
The short URL code for this job opening is: 3684
Direct link to this job www.academictransfer.com/3684
