{"id":366,"date":"2025-04-07T13:32:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T10:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/?p=366"},"modified":"2025-04-30T19:11:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T16:11:25","slug":"phd-application-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/phd-application-call\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The ERC Starting Grant project \u201cEmpire of Solidarities: A Connected History of Private Charity Across a Decentred Romanov Empire, 1855\u20131914\u201d (EMPSOLID), invites applicants for a fully-funded 4-year PhD position at the University of Tartu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>About EMPSOLID<\/strong><br>By the late nineteenth century, the Romanov Empire stretched half-way across the globe, turning inhabitants of the vast territory spanning today\u2019s Tallinn to Vladivostok into subjects of the same empire. Yet, how far did inhabitants\u2019 horizons of sympathy extend? Did people living at opposite ends of the empire feel any emotional connection or impulse to help one another in times of need? If so, how were these solidarities expressed and enacted? EMPSOLID analyses the formation and development of horizontal connections between different regions of the Romanov Empire through a focus on intra-imperial charity, philanthropy, and aid. The project investigates how charity became a means of expressing solidarity and was shaped by \u2014 and also sometimes transcended \u2014 confessional and ethnolinguistic divides. The project\u2019s decentring approach contributes to critical approaches to East European and Eurasian studies and imperial history by intensifying cross-regional exchanges between scholars working on different regions of the Romanov Empire (Baltic Studies, Ukrainian Studies, Caucasus Studies, Central Asian Studies etc.) and probing new ways of thinking about the empire based on horizontal entanglements between its border regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>PhD project scope<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research undertaken as part of the PhD project will focus on the\u00a0<strong>history of ideas and theories of solidarity<\/strong>\u00a0in the Romanov Empire, tracing how concepts were defined, debated, and transformed over the long nineteenth century. Proposals should address some of the following themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How ideas such as solidarity, altruism, philanthropy, humanitarianism, collective action, mutual aid, or cooperativism were conceptualised and discussed in different intellectual and political circles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The role of key thinkers, reformers, and activists in shaping these ideas within imperial, national, and transnational contexts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The influence of European political thought (e.g., socialism, liberalism, conservatism, anarchism, nationalism) on the development of solidarity-based movements within the Romanov Empire<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Religious ideas, institutional practices, and networks of collective welfare (Orthodox, Lutheran, Islamic, Jewish, and others)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How different actors \u2013 such as imperial officials, intellectuals, revolutionaries, national activists, religious leaders, or philanthropists \u2013 mobilized ideas of solidarity for political, social, or cultural ends<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The politicization of solidarity in the context of empire and nation-building, including the intersections between imperial, national, religious, and class-based solidarities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Applicants should specify their chosen case study within their proposal, outline a list of potential sources, and clearly articulate how their research will address the intra-imperial dimensions of the topic (ideally, bringing two or more regions of the empire together). Proficiency in the relevant language(s) for the case study is expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Responsibilities<\/strong><br>In addition to fulfilling the general requirements for doctoral studies at the University of Tartu, the PhD researcher will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Participate in regular EMPSOLID team meetings (in person or via Zoom)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assist in organising workshops, lectures, and in-person events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contribute data and assist the PI with the management of the project database of intra-imperial charitable initiatives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Produce maps relevant to the larger project using GIS (training provided)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Main supervisor:\u00a0<strong>Dr Catherine Gibson<\/strong>, Associate Professor of East European Studies, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etis.ee\/CV\/Catherine_Gibson\/eng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ETIS profile<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:catherine.helen.gibson@ut.ee\">catherine.helen.gibson@ut.ee<\/a>.<br><br><strong>Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Gibson for preliminary feedback and approval of their research proposal before the application deadline!<\/strong>\u00a0Please note that the prospective supervisor may however not be able to provide extensive comments or help develop project descriptions at the application stage, given the large number of applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the PhD programme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PhD programme in Political Science is offered entirely in English, and the Institute welcomes applications from both Estonian and international students. The Political Science PhD programme has full accreditation and has received a positive external review in 2011 and 2019. The nominal study time is four years. From the academic year of 2022\/2023, PhD students will be admitted to the Doctoral Programme of the Faculty of Social Sciences, with a specialization in Political Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, around thirty PhD students are enrolled in Political Science doctoral programme, about 15 as resident PhD researchers. An increasing number of them are international students, coming from Germany, Japan, China, the UK, Sweden, Canada, Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, Armenia, Finland, Turkey, Azerbaijan, USA, Kazakhstan and Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For general information about doctoral studies at the University of Tartu, guidelines and regulations, as well as funding, please visit the University of Tartu\u2019s website on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ut.ee\/en\/doctoral-studies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doctoral studies<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For detailed information about the curriculum and organisation of studies, please see the Faculty of Social Science\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sotsiaalteadused.ut.ee\/en\/centre-doctoral-studies-social-sciences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">webpage<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the research areas, publications and current research projects of the faculty, please visit the institute\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ut.ee\/en\/johan-skytte-institute-political-studies\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">employee webpage<\/a>\u00a0for an overview of their supervision competencies. You are also welcome to look for our academic employees\u2019 individual profiles in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etis.ee\/Portal\/Persons\/Index?lang=ENG\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Estonian Research Information System<\/a>. Additionally, please familiarize yourself with the main\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/skytte.ut.ee\/en\/content\/research\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">research directions<\/a>\u00a0of the institute. It is a precondition for acceptance into the PhD programme that the Institute has the necessary expertise for supervising the project suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before submitting documents, applicants should contact a prospective supervisor from the Institute\u2019s faculty or seek advice from the PhD programme coordinator Kristel Vits (<a href=\"mailto:kristel.vits@ut.ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kristel.vits@ut.ee<\/a>) about who to contact. It is essential for the application\u2019s success that prospective PhD students approach us with a sound research project and seek to establish a preliminary agreement on supervision with one of our faculty members before submitting their application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spring 2025 deadlines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>May 15<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 for international applicants<br><strong>June 15<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 for Estonian applicants and international applicants graduating in Estonia. Please note that in this round, the application will have to be submitted through an online portal which requires an Estonian ID-card\/residence card for identification. In case you do not have an active ID-card, you should follow the deadlines above.<br><strong>June 27<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 admission interviews for the Political Science specialty<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other Info<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Duration of studies:\u00a0<\/strong>September 2025 \u2013 August 2029 (48 months)<br><strong>Funding:\u00a0<\/strong>monthly salary of \u20ac2,000 (gross salary), funding details\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ut.ee\/en\/status-and-funding-doctoral-students\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">are here<\/a>. Please note that all admitted PhD students will be hired as junior research fellows.<br><strong>Online information session<\/strong>\u00a0(with pre-registration): April 16, 13:00\u201314:00 (UTC+3\/EEST).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/events.teams.microsoft.com\/event\/4be2fc8a-9bda-4a46-b06a-03d6ed40d3ab@6d356317-0d04-4abc-b6b6-8c9773885bb0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Register here!<\/strong><\/a><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This position is funded by the ERC grant (EMPSOLID \u2013 101162204).<br><br><em>Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/skytte.ut.ee\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/ckeditor_236_x_709\/public\/2025-04\/LOGO_ERC-FLAG_EU_for_EMPSOLID.JPG?itok=7knIKDk-\" alt=\"EU flag and European Research Council logo.\"><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ERC Starting Grant project \u201cEmpire of Solidarities: A Connected History of Private Charity Across a Decentred Romanov Empire, 1855\u20131914\u201d (EMPSOLID), invites applicants for a fully-funded 4-year PhD position at the University of Tartu. About EMPSOLIDBy the late nineteenth century, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":360,"featured_media":434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,16,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-empsolidnews","category-jobs","category-phd"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":439,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366\/revisions\/439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sisu.ut.ee\/empsolid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}