Two postdoctoral positions in the study of collective anger in the Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen

Postdoctoral position 1: The Study of Anti-female Anger and Activism in the US

Postdoctoral position 2: The Study of Postimperial Anger in Georgia, Europe

The Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for two postdoctoral positions from 15 September 2025. The position is for 30 months and has no teaching requirements.

About the Project:
The positions are part of an ERC advanced project entitled ‘Anger Legitimised: Amplified Anger and its Rhetorics of Justification in the 21st century’ led by Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Atreyee Sen, Department of Anthropology University of Copenhagen. The broader project explores how diverse communities that feel their anger has been delegitimised seek to perform, communicate and justify this volatile emotion. The project looks to develop the concept of ‘a grammar of anger’, which will address the legitimation, transmission and ethics of collective, amplified anger in the contemporary era. It will compare the rhetorics and practices of this amplified anger in a range of sites (India, North Africa, USA, Amazonia, etc.) and across a range of thematic orientations (fury, venom, rage and wrath). (Project overview - temporary)

Job Content
Postdoctoral position 1: The Study of Anti-female Anger and Activism in the US
This position is specifically part of a wider work-package (WP) entitled ‘Fury’, looking at contemporary manifestations, linkages, and globalization of gendered anger. This WP is coordinated by the PI, Dr Atreyee Sen. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct individual research into the currents, logics and expressions of anti-female anger in the US, that coalesces into political groups, ‘manospheres’, homosocial spaces, and social movements. E.g. the latter could include Incels, Trump supporters, and men’s rights activists.

Postdoctoral position 2: The Study of Postimperial Anger in Georgia, Europe
This position is specifically part of a WP entitled ‘Venom’, looking at embittered anger and ressentiment directed towards former colonial and imperial powers. This WP is coordinated by Dr Matthew Carey, Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct individual research into the dynamics of postimperial anger in Georgia directed towards the former imperial power, Russia, and its citizens, both in the present-day context of immigration and potentially with regard to the recent past.

The postdocs will be responsible for designing and conducting their own sub-project within the broader context of the work package and the project as a whole. The research will rely primarily on fieldwork and the collection and analysis of qualitative data (both offline and online), and outputs will be primarily in the form of single- or co-authored academic publications, as well as more popular forms of dissemination (podcasts, media articles and interviews, public talks, exhibitions, etc.). Participation in academic conferences and/or workshops is expected.

The candidate will be employed at the Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, and will be expected to reside primarily in the Denmark when not conducting research or engaging in research stays. The Department represents a broad approach to anthropology, expressed in regional foci, theoretical orientation, and methodology, which results in a dynamic practice of anthropology. The postdoc is expected to participate in the wider academic life of the department and to collaborate closely with other members of the project.

Qualifications
The successful candidate will have a PhD in anthropology or a related discipline within the social sciences or humanities.

For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Ministry of Education and Research’s Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.

The candidates will be assessed according to the following qualifications:

• Specialization: PhD degree in Anthropology or a related field.
• Language: Excellent English (for postdoc 1 and 2); Proficient Georgian (and perhaps basic Russian for postdoc 2)
• Methods: Proficiency in ethnographic data collection is required, ideally with experience of both digital and in-face fieldwork.
• Analysis and writing: Demonstrable ability to engage in sophisticated theoretical analysis of ethnographic data.
• Research experience:

1. For Postdoc 1: Experience conducting research in the US or on relevant themes for the project (emotions, affect, gendered relations, protest/resistance).
2. For Postdoc 2: Experience conducting research in Georgia or on relevant themes for the project (emotions, affect, postimperial relations, protest/resistance)  

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Anthropology is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, knowledge and competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with an impact on wider society.

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/. You can read the Department’s strategy here: https://anthropology.ku.dk/dep/

Terms of Employment

• Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf
• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary range starts at DKK 38,575 per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process:
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

An Equal Opportunity Workplace:
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment, and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see:

https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information:
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected], please refer to ID number: 211-2058/24-2I #1.

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Atreyee Sen, e-mail: [email protected], phone +45 35333882.

How to apply:
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word. 

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application (2 pages)
• Curriculum vitae
• Diploma (PhD)
• Outline of proposed research (3-5 pages)

The closing date for applications is 3 March 2025 23:59 [CET].

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.