Two Postdoctoral positions in Ethnology at the Saxo Institute, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen
The Saxo Institute, Faculty of Humanities, UCPH, invites applications for two postdoctoral positions in Ethnology from 1 February 2027. The positions are fixed term positions for three years.
The two postdoc positions will be based at the Saxo Institute and associated with the Centre for Sustainable Futures. The positions will be part of the project: Tolerating Urban Animals. Techno-moral perspectives on killing and caring for other species, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation’s Semper Ardens Accomplish programme.
The Tolerating Urban Animals project explores the use of technologies for managing undomesticated and feral urban animals. Through ethnographic fieldwork and archival studies in urban areas of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, it follows the technological development and legislation on animal rights in the EU since the 1970s, to explore technologies and everyday practices of deterring, killing, or caring for animals.
The two postdoc projects will explore
Project 1 – Technologies for caring: examines how municipalities, residents, and NGOs have deployed technologies to attract and sustain animal presence, and how these practices are embedded in local knowledges, moral justifications, and cultural categories.
Project 2 – Changing technologies: employs a historical perspective to examine both successful and unsuccessful “techno-fixes” and to trace moral shifts in technologies and legislation for managing urban animals.
Applicants are encouraged to attach proposals for both project 1 and 2, if relevant (each max 4800 characters).
Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level. Fluency in a Scandinavian language and historical and ethnographic fieldwork experience are prerequisites.
Salary and terms of employment: Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 39,900 (EUR 530) + a 18,07 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CET] on 20 October 2026.