PhD Scholarship at Groningen: Voegelin, Gnosticism, and Philosophy

The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies and the Faculty of Arts offer a four-year scholarship to complete a PhD within a joint interdisciplinary project. The proposed PhD scholarship will be embedded in the department of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Origins at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies and in the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts and will be supervised by Prof. Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta ([email protected]), Prof. Christoph Jedan ([email protected]), Dr Rik Peters ([email protected]) and Prof. Dirk Jan Wolffram ([email protected]).

The project proposed here focuses on the work of Eric Voegelin, one of the key political philosophers of the 20th century. His work is still a point of reference in political theory, political science, histories of the (post)secular, and the history of 19th and 20th-century ideologies. Voegelin argued famously that Gnosticism is a key driver behind secular modernity and especially the radical ideologies of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Marxism and National Socialism. The proposed project is focused on a fresh examination of Voegelin’s position, his interpretation and appropriation of ancient Gnosticism as well as his philosophy of history. The project aims to contribute to an analysis of the ‘revival’ of ancient philosophies and theologies in modern times.

For a more detailed project description, see : https://www.rug.nl/(…)s/research-projects/

The PhD student is expected:

• to have a thorough training in research skills
• to be fluent in English (both oral and written)
• to be able and willing to work in an interdisciplinary environment
• to be able to finish the PhD thesis in four years
• to enjoy planning, taking initiative, and academic writing.

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 36.000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge. The Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies is an ambitious faculty with a dynamic and accomplished staff drawn from around the world (58% international), and a Graduate School with 60 PhD students.

The successful candidate will receive a scholarship of € 1,841 per month, with wage tax and social insurance premiums already deducted. You will be required to be resident in Groningen and will initially be offered a scholarship of one year; prolongation of the scholarship for a further three years is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year.

General information about the University of Groningen’s PhD scholarship programme can be found here https://www.rug.nl/(…)ditions-application/

The preferred starting date is 1 December 2021

You may apply for this position until 7 October 11:59 pm / before 8 October 2021 Dutch local time by means of the application form (click on “Apply” below on the advertisement on the university website).

Your application should include:

• a brief letter of motivation
• a CV, including contact details of two academic referees
• a research proposal of up to 2000 words, covering (a) state of the art, (b) main research question, key objectives, and relevance, (c) the proposed (methodological) approach, and (d) the proposed timetable for the writing of your thesis (if your project is interdisciplinary, please also list potential co-supervisor[s])
• a writing sample of no more than 5000 words, such as an essay or part of a Master’s thesis
• certified official transcripts of your academic degrees. Official documents must be in the English, French, Spanish, Portuguese or Dutch language. Any translation of originals not in these languages must be authenticated.

Note that the procedure will include interviews. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview via online conferencing. Interviews will take place soon after 15 October 2021.

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

For information you can contact Prof. Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta, [email protected] and here.

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