Job offer: PhD-Position in Social Anthropology in the research project Bildung: Ethnographies of Boundaries and Experiential Epistemologies in Philosophical Practice 100 %

Job offer

The successful applicant will join a collegial, dynamic, diverse and internationally oriented team. Our research is ethnographically grounded, theoretically informed and invested in research partnerships with the regions we work in.

About the Project

This project uses an ethnographic approach to explore how the desire for a good life’ and the wish to realise Bildung ideals (understood as a holistic form of self-cultivation) impact the training process and subsequent implementation of skills for philosophical practitioners’. Philosophical practitioners organized internationally in the early 1980s in response to critiques of academic philosophy's detachment from daily life. They share the conviction that both modern academic philosophy and religious traditions have failed to fulfil their roles in providing moral and spiritual guidance, and in leading people towards reflective, self-formative lives. Our research examines how the ideal of Bildung is shaped, negotiated and implemented by practitioners within an academic education system that has historically privileged disembodied intellectual discourse over embodied praxis. We also explore how epistemic boundaries and institutional distinctions between philosophical and religious forms of knowledge, authority and practice are established. Presumably our research will be in Norway and Austria.

Requirements

• MA degree in Social Anthropology or related disciplines
• Experience with qualitative methods and ethnographic fieldwork, preferably an emerging publication profile
• Desired, but not necessary are theoretical and empirical interests in the fields of the anthropology of religion, anthropology of ethics, in European societies and philosophy
• High proficiency in English and preferably German
• Excellent organizational and communication abilities
• Ability to work independently as well as in collaboration with the team
• For the duration of the contract, weekly presence at the Department is expected during the term.

Responsibilities

• Planning and realization of a PhD project, including ethnographic fieldwork
• Organizational and administrative tasks in the framework of the project, contribution to the overall aims of the research project by participating in regular meetings and organizing workshops
• Active participation in Department’s activities (colloquia; collaboration in media outreach)
• Presentation of research results at workshops and international conferences & Publishing
• Collaboration with institutions and relevant stakeholders
• Contribution to science communication for a non-academic audience.

We offer

An innovative and collaborative academic environment, excellent opportunities for research (including finan- cial support), start-up funds to develop your profile and visibility, financial support for the hosting and attend- ance of conferences and workshops, strong administrative backing, and a motivated and collegial department and faculty interested in academic exchange.

Terms of employment

The position offers attractive working conditions and a salary according to SNSF regulations (80% Position at the University of Zurich).

Place of work

ISEK – Social and Cultural Anthropology
Andreasstrasse 15
8050 Zurich
Switzerland

Application

We are looking forward to your application. Please enclose the following documents:

• Cover letter with an indication of your research plan
• Curriculum Vitae
• An electronic copy of your MA Thesis
• Copies of your academic degrees
• Names and contact details of two referees

Please send your documents in a single PDF file to Dr. Lydia Ginzburg (lydia.ginzburg@uzh.ch) by 31.10.2026.

Interviews will be held online via Zoom on 16.11.2026.

Application deadline: 31.10.2026

Questions

Please do not hesitate to contact us. For questions regarding the application process: Miriam Wohlgemuth, Administrative Assistant (miriam.wohlgemuth@uzh.ch)

For questions regarding the profile: Co-Project Leaders Prof. Dr. Johannes Quack (johannes.quack@uzh.ch) or Dr. Lydia Ginzburg (lydia.ginzburg@uzh.ch).